


heart-stealer!!

by beefrecipes



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: AU, Action, Adventure, Angst, Comedy, Cowboy AU, F/M, Fanfiction, Fluff, Multiple Endings, cowboy, haikyuu au, kind of, not a poly fic sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:00:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 69
Words: 57,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27436999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beefrecipes/pseuds/beefrecipes
Summary: have you ever thought to yourself,  "man, i could really go for a haikyuu captains cowboy au various x reader fic with multiple endings right now"? no? well that's too bad!nows your chance to experience your journey as a bachelorette in the wild, wild west!* yes, there is a plot* yes, it is stupid
Relationships: Bokuto Koutarou/Reader, Haiba Lev/Reader, Kuroo Tetsurou/Reader, Oikawa Tooru/Reader, Sawamura Daichi/Reader, Ushijima Wakatoshi/Reader
Comments: 172
Kudos: 75





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hello! 
> 
> before you potentially start reading this fic, there are a few things id like to say here. 
> 
> firstly— this fic wasnt made to be taken too seriously! its mostly lighthearted and goofy. it was just something fun for me to write, and maybe for you to read. so if some things seem ridiculous or dumbed down, its meant to be that way! 
> 
> though, that doesnt mean it doesnt have its more serious moments. i tried to keep a balance between things to make it at least a little interesting. it has its fair share of angst and fluff as well. 
> 
> that being said, i also wanna tell you that there is no smut. i felt that it just didnt fit the nature of this fic (and between you and me, ive never written any before). im sorry!! 
> 
> all in all, i spent an embarrassingly long time on this fic, so any reads at all are appreciated!!!

y/n lugs the hefty sack up the mountainside, laying it over her shoulder. her hands sweat as they struggle to keep a grip on the slipping object—it’s filled to the brim with its contents, and the incline on the way to her house isn’t making it any easier. 

she groans, daring to remove one of her hands to wipe away the beads of sweat trickling towards her eyes. the bag falls from her one-handed grasp immediately. her head spins around just fast enough to watch the countless ears of corn escape off the steep ledge beside the road. 

"agh, come on!" she screams into the sky, screwing her eyes shut in frustration. luckily, her home is pretty secluded, so she doesn’t have to worry about anyone overhearing. not so luckily, the seclusion of her home meant the way down to the nearest farm was quite the trek. 

she peers down at her growling stomach, placing a hand over it and scrunching the fabric up between her fingers. she needed that meal. bad. 

though, she’s used to the frequent bad luck life threw at her. since being orphaned at a young age, she's had to provide for herself any way she could. work is hard to find in the current times as a young woman, so there's a constant struggle to keep food on the table.

after a long, sweaty, exhausting walk, she approaches the farm from earlier. the house is miles away from the cornfield, just barely visible in the distance. she’s sure nobody could be near without her knowing.

quickly, she starts jamming her cloth bag full of handfuls of corn. she even stuffs one into her mouth. it's uncooked and quite frankly disgusting, but she felt that if she didn't eat something soon, she'd drop dead. 

she cringes, swallowing with tears in her eyes as each little, revolting, yellow menace falls down her throat. it leaves a taste in her mouth that makes her shiver. as shes dropping the rest of the corn into the bag, one of them misses the opening, plopping off the edge of the bag and onto the ground. 

her hand instinctively reaches for the piece, which rolls a few inches away from her. as she follows the crop, it stops once it bounces off of an object— a boot.

she lets out a muffled scream into the corn in her mouth, popping her head up quickly.

a tall, brown-haired man in a maroon-colored button-up stares down at her, expressionless. 

"ah! s-sorry! sorry!" 

his eyes glance to the half-eaten corn that drops into her hand.

"you... like corn?" he mumbles.

y/n blinks. "...huh?"

"you like... corn... too?" he continues. the pauses in between random parts of his sentences are unsettling, to say the least. it makes even the most simple, benign sentences unnecessarily suspenseful, leaving her pondering his next words. would it be what she predicted? even more, would he leave his sentence without end? the thought of his comments ending in a conjunction was enough to keep her up at night. but, more importantly, why isn't he mad?

she gasps as he grabs a piece of corn by his waist, snapping it off the stalk while maintaining eye contact. 

"u-uh..." she contemplates making a run for it. her legs tremble and her fingers call for the bag by her side, but for some reason, she can't move.

with incredible speed, he lifts the ear to his mouth and shaves it clean of kernels with his teeth. his gaze is unwavering and intimidating as if he's inviting y/n to a challenge.

she stares at the object in awe, her mouth agape. "i... can't do that."

he hums to himself, nodding. "hm. i teach." 

"huh?"

"follow." he turns without waiting for an answer, crushing the stalks in front of him beneath his strides.

y/n raises an eyebrow, surprised he would turn his back on her so easily. after all, she was just caught stealing his crop. 

almost as if he predicted her plan to escape, he pauses at the slightest backtrack of her foot. "follow,” he calls again with his head turned, sterner than the first. 

"u-uh, sorry!" y/n squeaks. he could easily kill her if he wished, so it was probably wiser to just do as he said.

the walk through the field is mostly silent. as the house gets progressively larger, he finally speaks up. "your name?"

a little shocked from hearing his voice again, y/n recollects herself before answering. "y/n."

she hears him hum in response. 

"ushijima."


	2. Chapter 2

inside, the house is surprisingly well taken care of and... empty. _does he live alone?_ y/n wonders.

he leads her to the kitchen, which is quaint and well-lit by a large window above the sink. she hesitantly follows, eyeing every visible aspect of his home. it's much nicer than hers.

she watches as he opens his fridge, looking through its contents. when she nosily leans closer to get a better view, she stammers confusedly.

"it's all corn..."

though it's strange, it's a little relieving; at least it isn't stuffed with human bodies. it wouldn't have been the first time something like that happened around here.

ushijima pulls out one of the buckets, inspecting it before walking over to the table with it. he pulls out a chair and drops the bucket to the ground, sitting beside it. he stares at y/n expectantly, clearly waiting for her to take a seat as well.

"u-uh... i really should be going—"

"sit," he commands.

she sighs, sitting in the chair across from him. somehow she knew her attempt would be futile. propping an elbow up on the table to support her head, she watches as he motions to the ear of corn in his hand. he nearly sticks the entire thing down his throat, closing his teeth around it and pulling it out bare. the remains of the ear fill his cheeks.

to be honest, it really isn’t as impressive the second time.

y/n's half-lidded eyes glance around the room as he reaches for another, searching for a reasonable way to escape.

as she scans the area, something down the hall catches her attention. something... watching her. there are no windows there, so it's ominously dark and hard to see.

its gangly, stretchy figure stands halfway through another archway in the hall, peering at her with one eye that reflects a glare from the light in the kitchen.

a bead of sweat drips down her face as she notes, upon further inspection, the large smile on its face. her side-eyed stare doesn't break as it begins to move, its limbs wiggling and wobbling in a strange manner.

she grips the side of the tabletop, knuckles turning white. whatever it's doing, it doesn't stop, and soon it becomes too much to handle anymore. y/n shoots up from her chair, causing it to land backward with a clatter. ushijima glances up from his corn, an interrupted look on his face.

y/n points to the creature down the hall. "okay, what the heck is that?!"

he slowly turns his head in the direction shes gesturing to. "tendou." he says flatly, then returns to his meal.

"h-huh? what the heck is a tendou?! what is it doing?!" she motions wildly to the figure that's obviously a monster. did he have a kernel where his brain should be too?

"tendou dancing... for you," he states through chews.

before y/n can question further, 'tendou' disappears by the time she turns towards him again. her lip bobs up and down as she searches for something to say.

dumbfounded, she stumps down into her chair again, shoulders hanging.

she has to get out of here.

her eyes slowly make their way back to ushijima. he's still repeating the same technique from earlier with at least 20 stripped-bald cobs by his side.

then, it hits her. "um, ushijima... could i have one of those?"

he blinks, then hands her the one in his hands that his mouth hadn't touched yet.

she grabs it with two fingers, whining a bit. he brought her here because he wanted to teach her how to do this, so clearly that was all she needed to do for him to let her leave.

hesitantly, she moves the object into her mouth. ushijima watches her blankly. she closes her teeth on it, then pulls it out. it wasnt as clean as ushijimas, but the number of kernels in her mouth still made her want to vomit. her eye twitches as she swallows harshly, thinking about how she'd rather be eating needles covered in motor oil.

she doesn't ever want to see another piece of corn again after this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ushijima stans: *spongebob saleswoman voice* im outta here
> 
> lmao real talk though i promise i take care of him in the end 😌 dont worry


	3. Chapter 3

ushijima lets y/n leave not soon after that. though, he does give her some strange looks, which she decides not to pay attention to. it wasn't like she'd ever see him again.

probably.

considering the bag of corn she collected is so far out in the field, she wonders if it's really worth going to get.

she figures it'll be easier to just head into town, since it's much closer than the bag now. usually, she wasn't fond of begging for food or money, but she'd let it slide today. after all, the first thing she was going to do when she got home was erase this entire day from her memory.

she pads her singular pair of shoes along the path, the corn she ate holding her over until she arrives at the town.

the sign at the entrance reads 'TALL OAK'. the road is lined with buildings on either side, each with their own purpose. she looks for a good spot to sit, somewhere shady and out of the way of the heat. her dress had been getting a bit warm as the sun's rays beat down from the center of the sky.

"ah," she mumbles as she catches sight of a place that couldnt be more perfect.

the bank.

of course, people heading in and out of the bank would have money, and it helped that it had a nice overhang at the front.

she sits down by the front door, crossing her legs. then, all she has to do is wait.

lots...

and lots...

of waiting.

just as she’s about to fall asleep in her palm, a group of individuals walk into the bank entrance. her face lights up, and she raises a beckoning finger. "excuse me, excuse me!"

they blatantly ignore her.

well, all except for the taller blonde who sends her a nasty look on the way in. she huffs, crossing her arms. what a bunch of jerks.

she closes her eyes with a pout, listening to the sound of her stomach rumbling.

suddenly, the rumbling gets louder. and louder. it sounds a lot like her insides are being held at gunpoint and somebody is yelling "open the safe!"

her eyes shoot open at the sound of an alarm going off. shortly after, the men she saw earlier run out of the building with full bags and handkerchiefs around their faces.

as they all push and shove through the door, one of them gets their foot caught on her leg, causing them both to face plant into the dirt. she groans, placing a hand on her bleeding nose. when she opens her eyes, she sees the man she collided with staring right at her. she can only distinguish a few of his features with the handkerchief on, like his short, dark hair and similarly colored eyes.

a worker runs to the bank door from the inside, a gun pointed directly towards the only two left—y/n and the dark-haired man.

the man beside y/n widens his eyes. he grabs ahold of her quickly, putting his arm around her neck and pointing his own gun to her head.

"h-hey, wait a minute!" she squeaks.

the bank teller lowers his firearm hesitantly after realizing he can't get a clear shot without hitting y/n. sure, he could get away with killing the people who robbed him, but killing a civilian would get him tried for murder.

the man backs her away, aiming his gun towards onlookers who might get any ideas. he lifts her onto the back of his stout, buckskin horse, then mounts up himself. this way, he can’t get shot in the back during his getaway. he spurs the horse on, who jumps off into a gallop. "wa—ah!" unprepared, y/n nearly flies off the backend. she reaches desperately for the stranger's leather jacket. when her fingers make contact, she holds on for dear life.


	4. Chapter 4

eventually, the stranger's horse slows to a lope and the winding through tight paths part comes to an end. y/n looks to the ground moving beneath them. she ponders jumping, but hitting solid ground even at the speed they were going would still hurt pretty bad. she could feel the dirt in her mouth and rocks embedding into her skin just thinking about it. 

yeah, not happening. 

she settles on waiting until they stop to make a run for it. besides, she was only a shield, so he didn't really need her anymore anyway. 

suddenly, he pulls his bandana down to his neck with his free hand, taking a ragged inhale.

y/n's eyebrows raise in interest and she curiously leans to the side to get a better look. after examination, she hums to herself and shrugs.

"like whatcha see?" he calls to her through breaths and hoofbeats. 

she blinks. his drawl is so strong to the point that it almost doesn't sound like words. even though there are a lot of people that sound like him where she's from, she still has to pause a moment before responding, piecing his words together in her mind. 

"eh, a bit plain looking actually," she answers honestly, closing her eyes and swinging a dismissing hand in the air. even if he was the most gorgeous person she'd ever seen, she still wouldn't boost her kidnapper's ego.

he scoffs. she scoots forward again to see a smile on his face. 

"what's your name?" his eye flickers to the side to meet hers. 

"y/n. you?" 

"daichi."

y/n lets go and rests both her hands on the horse's croup, feeling the wind whip through her h/c hair. "okay, daichi, can you let me go now please?" 

daichi doesn't answer. as she’s about to ask again, he interrupts her. "i'm surprised you can understand me." 

"huh? well, yeah, i live east of the red falls. y'know, the mountains. lots of people like you live there." 

his mind wanders. east of the red falls? quite a few wealthy farmer families lived there— at least, when he lived there they did. she must've been one of their blood. that's easy ransom money for sure.

"you're an awful long way from home, aren't you?"

y/n watches as the horse slows to walk through a shallow creek, treading carefully over the rocks. "yeah, and you're not making it any better."

"well," daichi starts, "why don't you stay at our camp for tonight? no sense trying to make the journey in the dark." he motions to the sky with his rein in his hand. 

he's right. the suns touching the horizon and the skys turning a red hue. although, she didn't really think it was any safer to stay the night with a group of bandits. "...i think i’ll be okay." 

she doesn't see it, but daichi's brow furrows. he wanted to avoid bringing her by force. the easiest way to do this was by making her think she'd just be staying with them for some time and learning her family name so he could send a letter out. 

"i don't know. you sure you're not too hungry or tired? we have plenty of food at the hideout and a place to sleep." he insists.

y/n thinks for a moment. daichi doesn't seem so bad. well, he's a criminal, but y/n's pretty confident in her ability to take care of herself if things get bad. this was the perfect opportunity to finesse some much needed R&R. 

"eehhh...." her voice trails off. she looks away at the distant, rocky, hillside while she considers her answer, noting the beauty of it in the meantime. "...actually, yeah. i guess i could use some of that."

daichi smiles to himself, closing his eyes for a brief second and letting out a relieved sigh. "great."


	5. Chapter 5

after some time, they arrive at a wooded area. at first, y/n sighs, sure that they're still nowhere near the camp. for once, she's glad she's wrong. they head down a slope leading to a moderately sized level area, clear of trees and foliage. the tents and wagons set up are greatly secluded by the woods surrounding them. she has to admit, if she were a wanted criminal, she'd hide out here too.

when they ride in, they're greeted by a handful of people. for the most part, they ignore y/n at first. 

"daichi!" a greenish-haired boy with a freckled face calls to him from one section of the camp, "where have you been?" a messy, silver-haired one similar in height to daichi calls from the other. 

daichi swings his leg off the side of his horse, dropping to the ground. he reaches for y/n, putting his hands around her waist and lowering her gently. "i had a close call,” he answers dismissively.

an orange-haired boy pushes to the front of the crowd, his hands balled in fists. "daichi! i told them we shouldn't have left you, but they didn't listen!" 

another, similar in size but brunette, rushes beside the boy, mirroring his mannerisms. "but you said to head back to camp once we got the money, no matter what!" 

daichi puts his hands up, calming the duo. "i appreciate the concern, hinata, but nishinoya's right. i did say that." 

nishinoya crosses his arms and raises his head smugly, letting out a 'hmph'. "told you."

"but we were so worried about you!" hinata argues. 

"well, i'm fine, aren't i?" daichi motions to his figure, looking over himself as if checking too. 

hinata opens his mouth to speak, but sighs instead. "yeah, you're right. i guess i should trust you more." when he picks up his drooping head, he catches sight of y/n for the first time. "hey, who's that?" without waiting for an answer, he goes to investigate on his own.

y/n's eyes widen and she backs away slightly as she’s inspected by hinata. he looks her up and down, even touching her dress. she lets out an irritated snort and snatches her dress from his hands, flicking his forehead. "nosy, nosy, nosy! hasn't anybody ever told you to respect people's space?" 

a taller boy with a shaved head approaches immediately. "yeah, hinata! haven't you ever introduced yourself to a girl before?" he scoffs, shoving hinata away. as y/n goes to thank him for sticking up for her, she's taken aback as he bows in front of her, a hand placed over his chest. "apologies for his animalistic behavior, madam. he's not quite as experienced in the art of respecting women as i." his voice transitions from rough and loud to suave and deep within a matter of seconds.

then, nishinoya steps in, pushing the other boy away. "tanaka, you moron! you're supposed to do it like this—" he sits on one knee in front of her, grabbing her hand and slowly bringing it to his lips. y/n rips her hand away before it makes contact. "u-uh, i get it guys. thanks." she replies meekly, a slight redness to her cheeks. how embarrassing.

daichi chuckles, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "everyone, this is y/n. she'll be staying with us for now." 

"why?" a voice emerges from the back of the crowd. it's a familiar face— the blonde boy, the one with the scowl. the rest of the group remains silent, obviously wondering the same thing. 

"because she's the reason i made it back safely! the least we can do is give her a place to stay for the night, right?" daichi responds in a cheery tone, throwing his arms out. though, the blonde's smart enough to know that isn’t the real reason why. as everyone else erupts into a chatter, he grunts to himself, then returns into the camp.


	6. Chapter 6

the night begins to settle, so the lanterns around the camp are lit. they illuminate the grounds with a warm, yellow light. 

daichi has already spoken to some of the older members of the group about y/n's actual situation, making sure he has eyes to prevent her from leaving— a pair of those eyes being sugawara’s, who's in the midst of showing her around.

she follows him as he explains how the camp is set up and where she can find things she needs. she thinks it's strange that he's showing her anything other than a place to sleep, seeing as she's only staying for the night. brushing it aside, she figures he's just being kind. 

he leads her to a pile of blankets and pillows thrown underneath a tarp, which is propped up by a wagon. it's placed closer to the center of the camp, surrounded by neighboring tents in every direction. "and this is where you can sleep," he says with a smile and leans to light the lantern next to his feet. 

"oh, thanks." y/n smiles back, clasping her hands together. her eyes widen when her stomach rumbles so loud she could've sworn the earth was giving out beneath them. "uh..." she chuckles nervously. 

sugawara teasingly pretends to be shocked, then laughs it off softly. "if you're hungry there's a bonfire over that way," he points to a flickering light behind a wagon, "i think they're cooking some stuff right now." 

her feet start shuffling in that direction before he can even close his mouth. trying to maintain composure, she turns around and waves before she disappears from view. "thanks!" 

suga puts a hand behind his neck and grins sadly. it's a shame they have to do this to her, but at least she's being taken care of. 

as y/n approaches the bonfire, she notices a familiar figure sitting on a bucket beside it. he looks up and beckons her over.

"hi, daichi." she stands by the fire, letting the warmth of the flames seep through her dress. she immediately eyes the pieces of meat roasting over the fire, already turning a nice brown color. 

“ah, y/n!” daichi’s attention lands on her, lowering the rag he was using to clean his face. “go ahead, sit, sit!" he motions at a log on the ground with a smile.

she folds her dress up underneath her and sits cross-legged on the wooden seat, never breaking eye-contact with the food. 

"has sugawara done as i asked him to yet?" 

it takes a moment for y/n to snap out of her daze. "huh— oh! yes. yes, he's shown me everything. he's very nice." she fiddles with her fingers, picking at the skin. "um, can i have some of that, please?" she asks before he can say anything else. 

daichi raises his brows, reaching for one of the pieces of meat. "oh, sure!" he holds it so she can grab it by the stick, making sure she doesn't burn her hand. 

she tries not to look like a savage animal as she tears through it, chewing and swallowing hastily. 

"is it good? i got it myself. it’s deer meat." 

"incredible." y/n mumbles with food in her cheeks.

daichi laughs. after a moment of watching her, his face falls slightly. "...are you always so hungry?" 

"pretty much," she responds without looking up from her meal.

he leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "don't your parents feed you?"

"u-uh..." she swallows her mouths contents heavily. "no. n-no, i don't... live with them anymore." 

"you're married?" 

she can't tell if her face goes warm from the fire or if she's blushing. it's just a dumb question, why would she be embarrassed? it's definitely from the fire.

"no," she answers flatly. 

well, that would explain her begging for money outside the bank. daichi notices her change in tone, pausing for a moment. he looks away and runs a hand through his hair. "sorry. didn't mean to pry." in all honesty, it doesn't really matter if she lives with her parents or not. chances are, they'll still pay the ransom money if they know their daughter's been taken. so, he decides to just stop talking.

the air between them becomes suffocatingly awkward, and y/n feels the dire need to break the silence. "it's okay. how about you answer my question, and then we'll be even?" she grins playfully.

daichi meets her gaze again, curious. "a question?" his hand lays on the back of his neck. 

"why do you steal from people?"


	7. Chapter 7

y/n lies awake in her tent, mind occupied with thoughts about daichi— their conversation beforehand, specifically.

"why do you steal from people?" she asked. it might seem like a bit of a touchy question, but she felt that if you stole from people, you should at least be able to answer for why.

daichi's mouth opens and closes. he looks surprised for a moment, then glances away with a scoff and a smile. "i guess that's fair." 

y/n cocks her head to the side, setting the deer meat on the log next to her. "well?"

he stares at her for a moment, wondering why he was about to tell her what he was. "i made a few mistakes when i was younger. once that happens, you can't really come back from it. this is the only option for me." 

"...what was it? the mistakes, i mean," she asks softly, teetering forward in interest. 

daichi raises a finger. "ah, ah, you said one question." he clicks his tongue, a smug smirk finding itself on his features. 

y/n's eyes widen before her furrowing brows push them back down to size. "hah?! you hardly answered my first question! plus, you asked me two!" she props up two fingers with a stomp of her foot, glaring at him through the flames.

"sorry." he shrugs. "you should've thought this deal through better." 

despite her protests, she never managed to get him to budge. eventually, he insisted that she was making too much of a ruckus while the others were sleeping, and suggested that she do the same. 

so, presently, she’s resting in her makeshift bed throwing an internal tantrum. how could he be so unfair? but then again, she thought, she wasn't entirely truthful with him either. maybe this is just karma? 

she rolls over on her side, staring at her flimsy tarp wall. "whatever,” she mumbles. she shouldn't care anyway, he was just some dumb bandit. a thief. a criminal. a no-good, low-life nobody with a dumb group of friends and a dumb, plain face. that's all there was to it.

wait.

does stealing corn make her a thief too?

she groans, rotating onto her back again and rubbing her eyes. suddenly, she hears a noise coming from outside her tarp. it sounds like somebody walking past her tent. that's strange, she thinks, everybody had been asleep for hours now. 

curiously, she peeks her head out. it's hard to see, but after a bit of squinting and refocusing her eyes, she recognizes the silhouette. it’s the blonde boy, the one who was introduced to her earlier as tsukishima. her head lops to the side. 

her first thought is that he's going to pee, but she notices the tack on one of the horses as she’s about to pop back into her tent.

he tightens the girth one last time before mounting, scanning around once more. somehow, he doesn't see y/n. she watches as he and his horse walk off into the woods quietly.

she raises an eyebrow, then shakes her head. maybe he just liked rides under the moonlight? with a scoff, she tucks herself back underneath her sheets.

what a weirdo. 

* * *

when the morning comes, she has to admit to her distaste for sleeping around other people. 

even the smallest sounds, like footprints in the grass or cups rattling, drives her crazy. it doesn't help that they all wake up at the butt-crack of dawn either. 

she whines, twisting and turning in her bed with her pillow wrapped around her ears. nothing seems to help. if it isn't dead silent, she can't sleep.

defeated, she sits up like a zombie, staring off into space while she blinks the sleep out of her eyes. "ugh..."

it doesn't register at first, but she notices a certain noise in particular getting gradually louder. it almost sounds like... thunder. that shouldn't be, considering she can see the sun's rays beaming through the holes in her tarp. she scrunches up her nose in confusion.

not soon after, she hears people shouting and whistling, even gunshots being shot off ridiculously close. her heart drops at the piercing sounds, scrambling around her bedding as her muscles tense. "what in the world are they—?"

when she peeks her head outside, she sees a group of people ride up on horseback, guns blazing and firing off into the sky.

one of them breaks away from the group on a hot-headed, black horse. a red button-up covers the man’s torso, and a flashy, black, leather fringe on top of that. "wheres the girl, daichi?" his demanding voice tears through the camp.


	8. Chapter 8

the man's golden irises survey the camp, catching sight of y/n before she can hide. "ah,” he smirks with a devilish twist at the corner of his mouth.

y/n squeaks as he approaches. nearby, she hears daichi and the others attempt to fight the trespassers off but to no avail, as the other group already had their guns drawn.

he dismounts swiftly, grabbing the rope hanging from the horn of his saddle. she backs into her tent, accidentally cornering herself. "no, no, wait a minute—" the hand she puts up in defense is snatched, yanking her forward with a tug. 

"that her, boss?" one of the riders from behind calls out melancholically, a blonde with seeping black roots. 

he grabs a fistful of y/n's hair, rotating her head to get a better look at her. "it's her alright." one of his brows prick up triumphantly.

after the rope is secured around her arms and legs, he tosses her atop his horses back. while attempting to wiggle free, she squawks when she feels herself about to slide off onto her face. he stops her with a balancing hand on her back. “probably best if you didn't do that." 

he swings a leg over his saddle and his horse tucks its head, pawing in anticipation. he keeps a hand over y/n to secure her when they start to move. 

they walk to the camp entrance and he stops to look down at daichi one last time, who’s standing with hands up as multiple revolvers point at him. "thanks for the free money, loser." the black-haired man spits at his feet, then sends his squad off with a series of whistles and cackles.

"nice one, boss."

"got him."

y/n's eyes briefly lock with daichi's as they pass. he stares back, face remaining cold but his gaze holding a tinge of sadness. she can’t help but reciprocate the look.

as they weave through the forest, she hears the duo up front—her captor and the melancholic blonde— begin to converse. she can’t make out the context of their conversation, but she does hear some names getting passed around.

"kuroo and kenma, huh?" she hums quietly to herself. 

eventually, they ride through a canyon and to a ranch. it isn't hidden in the slightest, but it isn't suspicious either. in fact, it looks perfectly normal. it's pretty smart for a gang hideout, actually. 

after the group hitches their horses to a fence, the man, who she found out to be kuroo, removes her from his horses back. he pops her up over his shoulder, and she wonders if she looks as stupid as she feels (she does).

she only realizes his plans of keeping her in a barn once they're inside. he plops her down onto some straw by a post, securing her hands to it. her eyes go wide. "you're keeping me in here?!” 

kuroo looks down at her, his eyes narrow. "i just kidnapped you, and that's what you're worried about?" he scratches his wrist.

"you're treating me like some kind of animal!" she kicks out, stirring up dust and spreading stalks around.

he shakes off his confused, slightly concerned expression, leaning down in front of her. "okay... uh... maybe i’ll let you stay in the house... if you tell me your last name." 

she blinks. "my last name?" that was it? why didn't he just say so in the first place? "uh... it’s l/n."

his eyes glance off to the side in thought. he'd never heard of a single l/n before, which is strange considering she's from the red falls area. despite this, he shrugs, ruffling her hair. "great. thanks." 

she watches in horror as he turns in the other direction, leaving her bound. "hold on, you said—" she calls out to him as he starts to slowly close the barn doors. 

"i lied,” he cuts her off, letting the doors shut loudly and encasing her in complete darkness. 

stunned, she sits entirely still, staring into the black void surrounding her before screaming out in frustration. "come on!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know this makes it seem like u only get to spend like 2 chapters with the characters BUT I PROMISE THATS NOT THE CASE lmao


	9. Chapter 9

kuroo slumps down in one of the kitchen chairs, resting his elbow over the back. he eyes kenma playing a game with a knife, moving it through the spaces between his fingers. the table shows signs of wear in his spot, scratches and cuts lining the tabletop.

he clears his throat. "you ever heard of any  
l/ns?"

kenma doesn't look up from his game. "no." he answers flatly as the knife in his hand picks up speed.

kuroo looks away for a moment, gazing out the window towards the barn. "i don't get why that'd be..." he mumbles to himself. surely tsukishima didn't lie to them about where she was from.

after briefly sifting through some thoughts, he sucks in a breath and stands to his feet. "well," he walks behind kenma, slapping a hand on his back. "somebody better get to writing that ransom letter."

kenma's eyes go wide as the jolt from kuroo's hand almost causes him to give one of his fingers more than just a knick. he hunches over and scowls as he walks away, side-eyeing him.

once the letter is written, kuroo sends someone to find y/n's residence. it's a fairly easy task, seeing as all they have to do is ask around the red falls area. unfortunately though, the journey would take a while.

* * *

every day spent waiting, kuroo brought y/n food and talked with her briefly— at least, he tried to talk with her. it took some time for y/n to actually participate in any conversation with him, which gradually became more and more as the days passed. it wasn't always a friendly conversation, but it was something to keep kuroo entertained. kenma wasn't necessarily the most talkative type.

he wouldn't admit it, but he began looking forward to seeing y/n, finding humor in her somewhat hostile attitude towards him. sometimes their interactions felt natural or even playful, like a cat teasing a _particularly_ bold mouse.

that being said, y/n doesn't consider them friends by any means— she sees it as parasitism with a hint of mutualism if you move the light just right. in a way, his visiting is keeping her sane, but at the same time, he's the reason she's here.

today, he brings her bread and cheese— which definitely isn't because he noticed it's her favorite out of all the other foods he had.

he pushes one of the barn doors open with his shoulder, illuminating the inside with light from the morning sun. "good morning~" he sings.

y/n's tired eyes squint at the brightness, trying to focus on his blurry figure.

he sits on a bale beside her, showing her his hand's contents. "hungry?"

she sighs and her jaw drops open loosely. he brings the chunk of bread to her mouth, letting her gnaw on it. his brows knead together when he realizes she isn't tearing through it as she usually does, instead hardly chewing at all.

"there... was a... raccoon in here last night." she finally speaks after a while, mumbling with food in her mouth. she swallows, "it tried to bite me—" she continues on, all the while missing the spark she used to have.

kuroo's eyes droop a bit sadly as his mind wanders. he's beginning to feel guilty, which is strange, considering he normally didn't care when it came to things like this.

she can hardly move, is only untied when she has to go to the bathroom, and here he is having to hand feed her inside a barn. he really is treating her like an animal.

"kuroo?"

he sucks in a breath, clearing his head. "hm?"

she looks down at the bread in his hand that she can no longer reach. he realizes he must've let his arm go limp when he zoned out. "oh, uh, sorry."

just as she goes to take another bite, he pulls the bread away. she looks at him again, confused, but he speaks quickly. "uh... y/n... what if you eat in the house instead?"

it takes a moment for y/n to process what he's said, but when she does, her face lights up. "really?"

kuroo smiles a bit when he sees her personality come back. "yeah."


	10. Chapter 10

after making her promise not to try to run, kuroo cuts the ropes from y/n’s hands, letting her walk freely inside the kitchen.

she brings her arms out in front of her and intertwines her fingers as she stretches. "oh, man," then, her fingertips graze her shoes. "finally!"

kuroo sits down at the table. "go ahead, have whatever you want, i don't care." he gestures to the cabinets lining the wall.

* * *

a few days pass of kuroo repeating the same routine— wake up, eat breakfast with y/n, tie her up again, repeat. with her newfound freedom, y/n even begins to develop more neutral feelings towards him. he's a jerk for sure, but at the same time, he has the ability to show _some_ human decency.

luckily for kuroo, kenma isn't a morning person, so he's been spared of any scolding during all of this.

today, y/n decides to shake up their routine a bit, taking interest in testing the limits to kuroo's 'kindness'.

when kuroo asks what she'd like to have as usual, y/n instead hums and puts a finger to her lip. "actuallyyy..." her head cocks to the side, “could i take a bath? i'm kind of, uh..." she picks at the sides of her dress sticking to her with dirt and sweat.

the grin from his face falters. that's far off from what he originally offered, but for some reason, he can't mold his mouth to say no. "we'd have to go to the river. i don't have anywhere here for you to bathe."

"whatever. i just want to be clean again!" the bridge of her nose crinkles as she catches a whiff from under her arm. "yuck."

he shifts in his seat, putting his elbows on the table. "how do i know you're not going to try to pull a fast one on me?"

she rolls her eyes. "because. i promised, and i'm not a liar like you."

"a liar? i didn't lie."

"yes, you did. the first day you said you'd let me stay in the house— and no, i will not be forgiving you for that... or for keeping me captive to begin with."

his eye shifts to the side as he recalls the event she's referring to. "but i never promised. i said maybe."

her argument gets caught in her throat. "yeah, well..." she trails off, her body stiffening as she searches for something to say. "you still kidnapped me."

at this he smiles a bit sadly, bringing his fingers to mindlessly scratch at his wrist. "...yeah, i did." he feels something a little strange inside, almost like regret.

y/n's shoulders drop at his change in attitude. before she can say anything, he shakes off any traces of remorse and stands up loudly, “well!" he ushers her out the door quickly, "better get going!"

she raises an eyebrow, but decides against questioning him. she knew by now that he had a habit of zoning out, so she figures that’s the reason for his behavior.

they mount his horse, who excitedly steps off into a canter down the road. the rivers nearby, so they don't count on the ride being too long.

once they reach a certain point, they take a small path that separates from the main road. it continues through a large, open, flowery field. y/n leans down and catches a few of the stems in her hand, using kuroo's waist as support.

she pops back up, showcasing her bouquet. "look!" she yells, holding it in front of him.

they take one final turn after they reach the end of the field, trotting through a sparsely wooded area before reaching the stream.

kuroo hitches his horse to a tree and watches as y/n approaches the water. she pulls her shoes off and tip-toes excitedly to the edge, standing on the rocks. the water trickles softly through the stones, providing the perfect amount of current to get clean.

she dips a toe in and screeches, turning around to face him in shock. "it's so cold!" she laughs.

he chuckles lightly and points to the sun at its highest point in the sky. "well, that's about as warm as it's gonna get."

"okay, okay! i'm going to get in now, so don't look!" a warning tone laces the second half of her words.

he puts his hands up in mock surrender and walks behind the tree he was standing in front of. "alright."

slowly, his face falls once he's out of view, his body sliding to the ground to sit. he holds the wildflowers she collected, observing them. 

he sighs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> unrequited feelings? thats cringe kuroo 
> 
> (also i wish i could go more into the development of their relationship but i chose not to bc i didnt want this fic to be like 3 novels long sjdlenskdnfkf FORGIVE ME i know the ppl waiting on other love interests wouldnt want to read all that anyway 🙄 i tried to be considerate okay)


	11. Chapter 11

y/n leaves her dress and shoes in the grass, slowly emerging herself into one of the deeper sections of water.

she cringes as the ice-y feeling covers her body. her hand sifts through the water, cupping some of it up onto her shoulder. she rubs her skin, removing the dirt and grime she’s accumulated. when she musters up enough courage to dip her head underwater, she comes back up almost immediately, gasping loudly and letting out a yelp.

kuroo's eyes widen and he checks himself back for almost looking reactively. "you okay?" he calls from behind the tree.

"y-yeah! i'm fine!" she reassures, running her shaky fingers through her knotted h/c hair.

he relaxes, resting against the tree trunk.

all is peaceful again for a while. eventually, she adjusts to the cold, and it becomes almost soothing. she sits in the water, watching the current move past her body. 

"kuroo?"

he responds with a noise, and she continues. "can i ask you something, please?"

"go ahead."

she picks up a pebble from underneath her feet, cleaning the clay off and examining it. holding it up to the sky, its soft, rose gold hue reflects the sun in a way worth admiring. "why did you kidnap me?"

kuroo's heart sinks. he glances around at the ground for a moment, unsure of what to say. he doesn't want to tell her that it's because they're planning on taking an enormous sum of money from her parents— even though she deserves to know. if she doesn't already hate him, that'll cause her to without a doubt. but, on the other hand, having to lie to her about it doesn't make him feel any better either.

truly, he's torn. 

"uh... it’s... complicated— but, don't worry. you won't have to stay much longer."

the final portion of his response overshadows her dissatisfaction with his answer. when she doesn't reply at first he feels anxious, but lets out a breath when he just barely catches her saying "okay".

after a moment, he hears her moving around in the water again. "are you done?" he asks.

"no. i won't be clean if my clothes aren’t, too!" she says as she dips her dress into the water, scrubbing it with her hand. the dirt, hay, and straw released from it float downstream. 

kuroo's brow furrows. "what? y/n, you cant. what are you going to wear?" 

her entire body freezes in motion, her face inverting like she ate a lemon whole. "uh..." 

of course, that didn't cross her mind.

she quickly pulls the dress out of the water, laying it flat on a large rock. she uses her hand to squeeze the water out of it the best she can, but it's still too damp to wear. "i’ll just wait for it to dry—“

"that'll take all day!" he shouts.

when she goes suspiciously quiet, he looks off into the distance in realization. "you already put it in the water." he states flatly.

her arm starts to tire from the sheer speed of trying to force the wetness out of her dress. "no..." she replies not nearly as convincing as she planned to sound in her head. 

kuroo throws his head back against the tree bark and sighs. "you've got to be kidding me..." 

he thinks for a moment. leaving her so he could find new clothes isn't an option, and he can’t really see her agreeing to ride back to the house completely naked. 

then, he has a revelation. 

"y/n." he catches her attention, throwing his own shirt out towards the stream with his head turned. thankfully, he isn't left completely exposed due to his undershirt.

she blinks. "hah?" 

"you can wear it back. it's all i have."

"i said my dress was fine—"

"just put the shirt on!"

y/n lets out a huff. "fine." she walks towards it, "but i bet it’s stinky. like you." she mumbles as she raises the red and black item over her head, her fingers buttoning up the middle. she reaches for her underwear— which, luckily, didn't hold nearly as much water as her dress.

the shirt covers her pretty well, so she doesn't end up feeling as exposed as she feared. 

"okay, you can come out now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> geez looking back at these earlier chapters now that im posting them here im realizing that i rlly was not worried about showing off my writing ability 💀💀💀 but dont worry i think it gets better or at least more satisfactory to me later. i just cant edit them all how i’d like bc it would take like 3 more months 🧎 sorryyyyyy


	12. Chapter 12

the ride back home is only a little awkward.

kuroo's shirt fits y/n very similarly to her dress, so she doesn't mind much. she just has to keep pushing the sleeves off of her hands.

for kuroo on the other hand, he finds himself flustered at the mere mental image of her in his attire. is it because he likes it? because he hates it? either way, he's glad she can't see the look on his face.

when they arrive back, y/n is surprised when he doesn't try to tie her up immediately. instead, he allows her in the house again.

the flimsiness of the door causes it to slam open as kuroo enters the rustic home. he holds it out of the way for y/n, who has her dress draped over her forearms.

inside, kenma jumps at the sudden noise. he sits at the couch beside an assortment of marbles and such. who knows what game he's playing now—maybe even one he made up? he eyes the both of them, heart stopping at the sight of y/n being free. "...boss?"

"shut up, kenma." kuroo responds monotonously while ushering y/n down the hallway. "go hang your dress on the deck out back— its dripping everywhere." he points to a door.

y/n nods, quickly running through the house on her toes. kenma watches with wide eyes as she exits through the back door, closing it softly behind her.

“k-kuroo!" his shocked gaze returns to him.

“what?"

kenma stutters, standing to his feet. he motions wildly to the direction y/n went in. "y-you just let her go out there?! alone?!" his voice cracks.

kuroo blinks. "oh, yeah. i guess i did." his eyebrows lower. why did he let her go out there alone? he didn't even think about the chances of her running away.

"wh— ah?!" kenma chokes. as he takes a few hurried steps down the hall, kuroo's voice stops him.

"hey, just let her be. i need to talk to you, actually." he sits down at the table, nodding at the chair across from him.

kenma, who still has many questions left unanswered, obliges. everything about what just happened is very, very strange to him. kuroo never behaved this way with captives. he didn't take them on rides or share clothes with them, and he especially didn't leave them unattended and untied. to the outside eye, it wouldn't even look like she was being held here against her will.

"what's the situation on lev?"

kenma's face lights up. "ah! he got back early this morning!"

"what? he— you're just now telling me this?" kuroo leans forward on the tabletop.

kenma blinks in disbelief, then mirrors kuroo's actions. "well, yeah. sorry, but you've been acting a little strange," he snaps in his defense. he can't believe he's really blaming him for forgetting. "it was kind of distracting."

"strange? i'm not acting strange." it's obvious in his tone that even he knows he's been behaving differently.

"yes you are!" for the first time in a long time, kenma raises his voice slightly. "you've been acting weird about that girl for days! did you forget that we're just using her for ransom money?! she's not our friend!"

kuroo squints. "is this because i let her _clean herself_? does that make me such a freak?"

"since when do you care about our hostages' well-being?!" kenma stands from his seat, palms flat against the table. "and, for the record, this isn't just about today. you thought i wouldn't notice all of our good food going missing suddenly?"

"enough!" kuroo shouts.

kenma slightly cowers, his posture falling.

it's deafeningly quiet. kuroo stands without making eye contact. he stares down at the dirty, scratched wood beneath his knuckles, face blank. "kenma, where's lev?"

kenma's brow furrows again, his arms fists curling by his sides. "the well."


	13. Chapter 13

kuroo slides his new shirt over his shoulders, buttoning up the middle. kenma’s words echo through his mind as he walks the dusty path to the well.

_"we need this money, kuroo! you can’t go soft on us now!"_ he called to him right before kuroo promptly slammed the door in his face.

he scoffs to himself. soft? he isn't going soft.

his eyes glance down at y/n, who's flapping the sleeves of his shirt around so hard they're making an obnoxiously loud 'whooping' noise. eventually, one of them smacks her in the face. she then proceeds to act like it didn't happen.

...

the warm, expanding feeling in his chest right now is because he has bad cholesterol. nothing else.

they approach lev, who's in the midst of placing stone around a deep hole. when he goes to wipe the sweat from his brow, he notices the duo. "hey, kuroo!" he waves.

kuroo stops a few feet before they reach him. "uh, y/n," he places one of his hands on her back, "...can you bring some of those stones over here?" he points to a big pile a little ways over.

she raises her brows. "oh, sure."

a smirk forms as he watches her eagerly go in the direction of the enormous stones. of course, he knows she won't be able to lift them. it’s the perfect thing to keep her busy while he and lev talk.

though, her blind confidence in everything is a little endearing.

realizing that feeling has snuck up on him again like a lion in the brush, he shakes his head, palming at his eyes. “agh," a disgusted noise escapes his mouth, "i need to stop.”

lev sits down on the stack of stones he'd placed, removing his gloves for a moment. kuroo walks over to him and places his hands in his pockets. "lev."

"hey," the silver-haired boy takes a few breaths. "what was that you were saying over there?"

"huh?" kuroo's eyes widen for a split second. he must've heard him talking to himself. "oh, it’s nothing."

lev hums.

"so, talk to me. everything go as planned?"

"uh..." lev stares off towards y/n for a moment, "yeah..." his voice trails. it wouldn’t take a genius to know there's something on his mind.

"that doesn't sound convincing at all." kuroo's eyes narrow, turning his head a bit. "what happened?"

lev puts his hands up, his leather gloves flopping around as he reassures him. "no, no, really, it went fine. the ride there and back was easy. there was a little trouble finding the house but... uh..." he chews on the inside of his cheek, “the house..."

"the house?"

"...kuroo, are you sure she didn't lie to you? i mean, that place was kind of a dump. maybe i don't know any better, but it didn't look like some rich family's house to me."

kuroo’s body stiffens, and he stutters a bit. "seriously? are you sure it was the right place?"

"positive,” lev nods exhaustedly. "on top of all that, there wasn't even anybody home."

kuroo doesn't respond. his eyes trace the ground wildly as if looking for an answer in the dirt.

movement out of the corner of his eye snaps him out of his trance. when he looks up, he sees y/n heaving and straining with a stone that almost matches her in size.

with each heavy step, she gets closer. it seems like it takes an eternity, but eventually she reaches them. the stone drops by their feet with a grunt and a thump.

y/n puts her hands on her knees and coughs. kuroo and lev stare at her dumbfounded as she recollects herself.

"you... you only needed one... right?" she pants.


	14. Chapter 14

"y-y/n."

y/n looks up at kuroo, her expression changing once she notices his. he looks angry—or is it worried? confused?

"can i talk to you?" he grabs her by the shoulder.

"uh... sure..." she shrinks underneath his touch. she can't figure out why he seems so upset. surely she didn't drop the stone on his foot or something.

they walk off in the direction of the barn. y/n turns and looks to lev one last time, who gives her a sympathetic glance, then continues working. her heart drops.

something is really wrong.

he lets her go, lighting a lantern before closing the doors.

the atmosphere of the barn becomes unnerving instantly. the only sounds are the hay crunching beneath their feet and their breaths. the corners of the barn too far from the lantern are horrifyingly dark, like if you walked too close, you'd be snatched up by whatever could've resided in them.

this is the only place they could speak privately, so he had no other choice, really.

"y/n..." he sits on one of the bales and rubs his head in his hands.

she stands awkwardly, unsure of what to do.

when he shows his face again, he rests it on his knuckle, his hair messier than usual now.

"have you been... honest... with me?" he speaks lowly. she's slightly relieved to find out that he doesn't seem angry anymore, just defeated.

"what are you talking about? i mean, i-i think so—"

"is l/n really your last name?" he cuts her off.

she blinks. her mouth opens and closes a few times. "wh— yes..." her brow lowers. "what is your deal with my last name?"

he sighs, cursing under his breath. "nothing, it's nothing—"

"no," her voice raises slightly. "seriously, tell me. you want me to be honest with you when you can't even tell me what you want with me?"

speechless, kuroo doesn't respond. given their dynamic, there's really no need for honesty. but for some reason, he wants to tell her, even though everything inside him is screaming not to. he was ignorant to ever think that if he didn't tell her, she'd somehow, someday, feel fond of him.

now, he just wants to hear her say she hates him and get it over with.

"please," she mumbles. "it’s the least you can do, isn't it?"

his breath hitches slightly. "because..." he starts, "because we were going to use you for ransom money." his eyes screw shut as he cringes. "we really need it," is his attempt to defend himself, but it only makes him sound worse. mentally, he punches himself for trying to come up with an excuse.

"...ransom money?" y/n's eyes squint. "ransom money from who?" she looks down at him, more confused than upset.

kuroo matches her expression. he knew she was dense, but this is a whole new level. "y-your parents...?"

her mouth falls agape. she scoffs, then falls into a disbelieving, slightly angry, fit of laughter. when she covers her mouth and doubles over he starts to become concerned.

"y/n..—?"

"my parents! _my parents?!_ kuroo, my parents are dead!"

kuroo's eyes widen. "oh..." he runs his hands through his hair and groans loudly. " _oh_." how did the possibility of her parents being dead never cross his mind?

suddenly, a wave of realization hits her. her face hardens and the laughter stops abruptly. "wait, you... you were really going to do that? and you acted like you were my friend?"

kuroo drops his forearms on his knees and stares at the ground. his heart aches at how genuinely hurt she sounds. despite this, he panics, opening his mouth at the first thing that comes to mind. "daichi was going to do the same thing, did he not know either?"

"kuroo!"

he finally looks up, wide-eyed. he couldn't only hear the pain in her voice, but see it in her eyes now, too.

"y/n, i know... i'm sorry. that's all i can really say. i'm sorry." his fingertips dig into his wrist. he knew it would be hard, but he didn't think this conversation would hurt this bad.

her knuckle rubs at the falling tears, leaving a wet stain on the sleeve of his shirt.

"listen..." he speaks again, his voice low and husky. "you can leave now if you want," the scratching on his wrist becomes rougher, and he grinds his teeth before continuing. "but can i ask you something?"

blankly, she waits in silence for what he has to say.

"why did you stay?"

"...what?" she questions, despite definitely hearing him the first time.

"i mean, i gave you so many chances to just run. why didn't you?"

standing statue-like and glossy-eyed, she ponders for a moment, which only causes his heart to pound with anxiety.

"... i guess because i didn't want to."


	15. Chapter 15

"i don't think you're really that bad of a person," y/n mutters. "and after a while... i guess i started to like your company."

for a second, kuroo doesn't know how to react. did she really just say that? or was it another one of his delusions? "...you did?"

she nods. 

he searches for something to say— or more so, he wonders if what he is going to say next is the right thing. standing to his feet quickly, he walks over and places his hands on her shoulders. "y/n... i know this is going to sound stupid... but—" he sucks in a breath between his teeth, his eyes tracing her features rapidly. "will you stay with me?" 

as he waits for a response, his smile saddens when she doesn't reply. "please?" he asks softly. 

her blank, tear-stained face remains. 

"you don't have to forgive me, but i want to start over. i like being with you— more than i do with anybody else." giving her shoulders a squeeze, he leans down to meet her eye level. "... things can change.”

she looks away for a moment, then back to him. what reason did she have to say no? she doesn't have anybody waiting for her back home and she isn't being missed. here, she has someone who acknowledges her presence and cares. despite their rocky start, kuroo has shown that he's capable of being kind, and the genuineness in his tone is persuading. 

his heart flutters when he sees a small smile tug at the corners of her lips. mimicking the action, he anticipates her answer.

"... i think we could try."

* * *

they spend the next week or so together, learning about each other and allowing a proper relationship to build up.

the money portion of the ordeal was hard to break to the rest of the gang at first, but kuroo swore that he'd figure it out on his own. even though he didn't know what he was going to do at the time, it didn't break his confidence. 

y/n found herself becoming particularly close with lev. he ended up being one of the best friends she'd ever had; they even finished the well together. their closeness only made kuroo slightly jealous.

speaking of kuroo, he often enjoyed showing  
y/n some of the more interesting spots he'd discovered during his endeavors— and as expected, she always adored it.

"you okay?" he calls down to her with a grin, holding out an assisting hand that's quickly smacked away.

"i can do it!" y/n huffs, grabbing ahold of the cliffside in front of her. 

he shrugs, climbing to the top of the ridge without her. "i promise it's worth it." his voice encourages her onwards from beyond her line of sight.

when she finally catches up with him, she sprawls out on the even bit of land at the top of the rock. her forearm plops over her eyes to shield the sun while catching her breath. 

"i could've helped you." 

"no!" she shouts, and he smiles in response.

crouching down by her side, he lifts her arm up so she can see him. "are you ready to look now?" 

with slower, less ragged breathing, she sits up. helping her stand, he keeps ahold of her wrist and places his other palm on her back. 

the view in front of her is incredible. she can see fields of wildflowers stretching as far as her eye can see, surrounded by snow-covered mountains in the distance. 

her face lights up. she lets out a squeal and grips onto his shirt. "look! look!" her hands tug on him, causing his body to rock slightly.

"y/n, i know," he laughs. "i'm the one who brought you here, remember?" 

"this place is the best so far!" she exclaims, leaning a little too close to the edge. "i can't believe it!" her eyes peer down the side as she attempts to take in every detail.

his heart drops as he sees her body start to tip forward. lunging, he pulls her back and lets out a breath when he confirms that she's safe in his arms, opposed to being flat against the ground beneath them. "lets... not do that, okay?" 

like she hadn't even realized she was about to fall to her death, the stars in her eyes sparkle just as vibrantly. 

with an eye roll, he sits on crossed legs and positions her in his lap. noticing a doe and fawn in the field, she does everything in her power to direct his attention, but his eyes don't leave the side of her face. 

she gasps when she feels something make contact with her neck. running her fingers over the spot, she concludes that he planted a kiss there. "kuroo?" she looks at him through her peripheral.

"hm?" his neck cranes over her shoulder, using his finger to turn her head towards him. he smiles at her contently, and perhaps a little lovesick.

the pace of her heartbeat pounds in her ears as he slowly inches their faces closer, growing warm in the cheeks. her eyes flicker between his gaze and his lips as he leans in to kiss her for the first time.


	16. Chapter 16

unfortunately, some things can't last forever.

one misty morning, kuroo arrives home from town. he waits for y/n to wake up to break the news— or maybe, he's trying to hold off on making it a reality for as long as he can.

when she wakes, he gives her a bittersweet smile. at first, she doesn't realize something is wrong. it takes a few repeated somber looks to finally raise concern.

he sits her down at the table, cutting her a few slices of bread.

"kuroo? what's wrong?" she doesn't even bat an eye at the food placed in front of her.

kuroo takes in a shaky breath. “uh..." he was waiting for that dreaded question. "...i talked to a man in town today. he said he had a job for me."

she sends a smile his way. "a job? seriously? that's great!" she exclaims softly, but her face falls once she sees how he reacts to her words. 

he winces.

"y-yeah. it is, really... but..." he clears his throat, looking away. "it’s to mine coal, all the way in heathsborough." 

the light disappears from y/n's eyes at the name. she'd never been, but she remembers seeing it on a map before. it’s miles away, taking days even by train. 

it becomes clear why he's upset—but inside she still hopes that she’s misinterpreting, so she waits for him to continue.

"it'll only be until i can pay off my debt, but... at the same time, that'll take a while..." he sniffles slightly, wiping once at his eyes. he's trying his best to not break down.

she'd never seen him like this before. 

"y/n, what i'm trying to say is— i don't have the money to take you with me." 

y/n feels like she's been stabbed in the heart. she understands completely, but that also might be part of the reason why it hurts so badly. she can't argue anything to make him stay, and she can’t somehow come up with the funds for herself. so this is it, their fate was being decided right in front of them. 

they sit together in silence. there's nothing left to say.

they would have to go their separate ways.

* * *

their goodbye was one of the hardest things she ever had to do.

eventually, everyone has to leave the ranch. the gang disperses, being sent off on their own without choice. in order for kuroo to make the trip, he had to sell the house, too.

for y/n, this meant it was time for her to go home. weeks go by and she readjusts to her old, simple, mundane life. she never realized how lonely and dull it was before, a truly sad way to live.

it was until one day that she needed to head into tall oak that her depressing routine changed once again. 

as she walks away from one of the fruit booths, a sack full of apples and pears, her body collides with another. 

the contents of the bag go flying into the street, to which she scurries to collect. 

"oh! hey, i'm sorry about that—" the person reaches to help gather her belongings. when she goes to smile and thank them, she gasps.

the man who'd been leaving the saloon just now was none other than someone she thought she'd never see again. 

"daichi?" her eyes go wide.

"y/n?" he mirrors her expression.


	17. Chapter 17

y/n grabs the last of her belongings, standing to meet daichi at eye level. she awkwardly waits for him to say something.

daichi's surprised but in a good way. his dark eyes scan her face up and down, and his features bright with a smile he can't wipe away.

"y/n, i-i don't know what to say,” he laughs. "it’s been so long."

then, an idea pops into his mind. he throws his thumb over his shoulder and points to the building behind him. "can i buy you a drink?"

though unsure at first, y/n obliges after a moment of considering. one last thing she had to spend money on, right?

they walk inside the saloon, sitting down at the bar beside each other. when the bartender makes his way over to them, he laughs, a bit shocked. "back already, daichi?" 

daichi waves a dismissing hand. "ah, just one more won't hurt."

the bartender nods, leaning on the bar-top as he asks what the duo would like to drink.

"the usual for me. what about you?" he motions to y/n.

"water."

daichi does a double-take, studying her face for sarcasm. "wa—? uh, okay, and a water for her." 

the bartender gets to preparing their drinks in front of them. daichi turns to y/n promptly. "not big on drinking?" 

y/n shakes her head stiffly. "mmm-mm,” she hums. 

he grabs his drink as it's handed to him, sliding y/n her’s also. when they're out of earshot of the bartender, he leans in by her ear. "hey, do you need somebody to pay for those fruits?" he asks, his voice low. 

at first, y/n doesn't understand. she has them already, so why wouldn't they be paid for? then, she realizes. her brow furrows.

"you think i stole them?!" she raises her voice a little too loud, causing daichi to hush her quickly.

"shh! shh!" he cowers when he feels a few eyes land on them. "sorry! last time i was with you, you didn't really seem in a good spot with money, that's all." he sputters in an attempt to calm her.

she closes her eyes and sticks her nose in the air with a huff. "yeah, well, it's not like that now. not anymore." 

daichi cocks his head to look her in the face. "huh? where are you getting money?"

"kuroo," she answers without thinking, immediately regretting it. her eyes shoot open and she tries to hide the blush seeping onto her cheeks by staring at the wall. technically, she only had the small sum kuroo could afford to leave with her. after that ran out, she'd be back to her old ways in no time. 

she sees daichi's expression go sour out of the corner of her eye. 

"kuroo? really? that jerk?"

her head snaps towards him, filling up the space between them. "he's not a jerk!" she whines. daichi juts backward, his eyes growing wide. "you know what, just cut the crap, daichi! i already know what you want to use me for— but, news flash, my parents are dead! so you can quit the nice guy act now!"

for a moment, daichi only stares at her. once he processes the fact about her parents, he shakes his head and slaps a palm on the bar-top. "kuroo was going to do the same thing!"

"well, kuroo admitted to it— and apologized. he tried to become better." she crosses her arms and looks away.

daichi stammers. "wh— i didn't even get a chance to do any of those things!" 

her shoulders droop at his words and she blinks. 

he has a point.

"listen, i don't care about any of that ransom stuff anymore. i'm just happy to see you!" he touches her shoulder, making sure she acknowledges the truth in his tone. "everybody's missed you since you've been gone. we never really got an opportunity to know you..." his voice trails off, eyes shifting down at his drink.

then, a thought sparks in his mind. when he speaks up again, there's a hopefulness in his features. "y/n, would you come back to camp with me for today?"


	18. Chapter 18

y/n has to admit, daichi has a way of convincing people to do things. 

she didn't particularly plan on ever going back to their camp, but for some reason she found herself curious. besides, if something were to happen, kuroo taught her a few ways to protect herself while he's gone.

when they arrive, they're once again greeted by a crowd. this time, y/n is the first to be noticed.

they excitedly ask her how she's been and if she's okay, what she'd seen and where. daichi was right, they really did miss her.

daichi steps closer to her, placing his arm over her shoulder. "alright, everybody, alright. let's not overwhelm her,” he laughs. they talk for a short while longer until he orders them to get back to work. apparently, they've been upgrading the camp.

he offers to show off their progress, and she obliges.

lots of the tents have been cleaned out and replaced with nicer, newer equipment. the bonfire has also been lifted off the ground onto some rock slates, a small wall built around it to prevent the fire from spreading.

she compliments their labor, to which he obviously responds humbly. 

while they're walking the site, she can’t help but notice somebody missing. she looks around one last time to make sure she didn't miss them. "where’s tsukishima?"

daichi purses his lips. "we had a bit of a ... falling out. he was the one who told kuroo about you." 

she turns her body to face him. "really?" her eyes go wide. "what did you do with him?" 

"nothin'. he got away before we could do anything."

"w-what?" y/n stutters at his strangely nonchalant nature about the situation.

"i mean, i've had people keep an eye out, but we haven't found him yet." 

"daichi, he’s clearly not your friend. he knows where the camp is! isn't that dangerous?"

daichi shrugs. “hey, he's one guy. what's the worst he can do?" 

though she feels like he isn't nearly as anxious as he should be, she trusts his approach. he's been at this gang stuff much longer than she has, so there isn't really any point in arguing with him about it.

“... i guess you're right."

he grins. "well, anyway, i want to show you something. come on." his rough, calloused hand wraps around hers, tugging her along further in the direction they were previously headed.

they stop at a large, hooded wagon towards the edge of the grounds. it doesn't look any more special than the others—maybe she’s looking at it wrong? she cocks her head to the side. "uhh..?” 

with a knowing curve at the corners of his mouth, daichi nudges her with his elbow. "you haven't seen the inside yet!" 

he brings her to the back where the entrance is. it's covered by a tarp, so she can't see anything just yet.

once he hops up, he holds a hand out for her. normally, she wouldn't want any help, but the angle she'd have to hike her leg up made her worried that she'd accidentally flash daichi her underwear.

she goes warm at the thought.

after he hoists her up, she slides in under his arm while he holds the tarp back.

when they're finally inside, her face beams. crates upon crates filled with meat preserved in snow line the walls of the wagon.

"no way!" she exclaims with twinkling irises, her stomach already rumbling. "there's so much!"

"yep. it's already cooked too. just has to be warmed up." daichi raises his head and places his hands at his sides, a smug grin tugging at his lips. 

in the blink of an eye, she collects bundles upon bundles of food. he heaves as she pushes him aside, jumping out of the wagon at a sprint. "let's go!" she shouts as she catches some serious air from the catapulting speed she exits the wagon with. it's kind of impressive how both her ankles are still intact afterward. 

he watches as she runs off, juggling the contents in her arms. his hand lifts to scratch the back of his head, a soft laugh escaping him.


	19. Chapter 19

daichi and y/n were pretty much inseparable for the next few days. wherever y/n was, daichi was too, and vice versa.

the conversation never seemed to fall flat between them. y/n joked that everything interesting about him went into his personality instead of his face. 

currently, the two of them sit on a cliff near the camp, legs swinging off the edge. it's only a little ways through the woods, and it overlooks an enormous lake. the light from the full-moon shimmers and dances on the water top, soft ripples moving through it. 

they've been here for hours now, telling stories back and forth. right now, y/n is in the midst of describing one of the many oddball encounters in her life. 

"and then, he took the corn like this—!" she motions the invisible object into her mouth, demonstrating for daichi to see. she lets a few giggles slip out on accident. 

daichi stares, a dumbfounded smile on his face. "no way. you're lying.” he shakes his head.

y/n breaks out into a fit of laughter, falling over onto daichi's shoulder. her cheeks go flush and she covers her mouth with her hand. "no, no! i'm serious!" she exclaims through cackles. 

for a second, daichi zones out at the contact. his own face goes red, but not from laughter.

when he pulls himself back to reality, he starts to laugh too, evolving from small chuckles to a full-out fit. it isn't so much that the story itself is funny, but that y/n is so tickled recalling the memory. 

as the energy starts to die down, she falls backward onto the grass, folding her arms behind her head with a sigh.

daichi leans back, propping himself up on his hands. "that must've really been something."

she stares at the shape of the moon. it's so prominent tonight that she swears she can see almost every dent and crater. "it was. i'd tell you about tendou, but you wouldn't believe that either."

"whaaat?" daichi drags out the word in faux offense. "well, to be fair, you're probably right." he shrugs.

the air between them goes silent for a while—but comfortably. while she counts the stars in the sky, he counts the twinkling reflections in her eyes.

she yawns, stretching her arms up into the air.

daichi chuckles softly. "i think you used up all your energy laughing."

she responds with a returned but tired chuckle. her forearm rubs over her droopy eyes.

"do you want to go back to camp?" his voice drops to a whisper.

her hand snakes over to his wrist, fingers wrapping around it lightly. "can we sleep here?"

looking down at her hand, his eyes widen. it’s the gentlest beckoning touch he's ever felt. his gaze traces up her arm and to her face. her eyes are resting closed, but she has a soft smile at her lips.

his cheeks burn as he repeats her words in his head. luckily, she can’t see the color in this lighting even if she wanted to. "we?" he questions, his voice still low.

one of her eyes peeks open at him, causing his heart to drop unnecessarily. "don't tell me you were planning on leaving me here alone." she nudges, a playful tone lining her speech. 

"n-no. no, i wasn't," he assures her. after taking another second of consideration, he slowly creeps his body closer. rigidly, he lays his back on the grass beside her, just far enough to not touch.

she turns over on her side towards him, scooting near and closing the gap between them. though shes curled up and their skin only somewhat graces each other’s, he still finds his breath hitching in his throat. 

mustering up the courage, he positions himself on his side as well, wrapping a hesitant arm over her back. when his chin rests lightly on her head, he releases any tension he has left with a content, relieved sigh.


	20. Chapter 20

the sun wakes y/n up earlier than she would've liked. the rays always seem to be particularly bright in the morning.

when she opens her eyes, she realizes she isn't on the cliff edge anymore, but in the camp.

she's in the same tent she slept in the last time she stayed here, except its gotten comfier since its upgrade.

she rubs her eyes and pushes her hair out of her face. her head pops out of the tent opening, looking around. 

daichi spots her from a distance, waving and jogging towards her. he leans over to meet her eye to eye, his hands on his knees. "hey, good morning!" he says cheerfully. "i woke up before you and wanted to head back to camp for some coffee. i didn't want to leave you, so i brought you with me." his hand rubs the back of his neck and his eyes shift away. "i hope that's okay..."

y/n blinks, eyes barely open in the harsh light. "huh?" she sniffles, barely processing what he said. "oh, yeah. that's fine." 

he steps back and lets her walk outside. "thanks for that." she mumbles. "a bear probably would've... eaten me... or something..." 

he dips his head down to hear her, trying to keep up with her morning rambles. he laughs awkwardly. "uh, yeah. i mean— hopefully not."

she stares at the ground for a weirdly long time in response. so long in fact, daichi is almost convinced she fell asleep again with her eyes open. he drops a hand on her shoulder. "uh... you want some breakfast?"

when she doesn't say anything, he shakes her a little bit. "y/n?" lifting her head up with his finger, he staggers back when he sees her face.

her eyes are hooded and completely glossed over, unresponsive towards anything. 

she did fall asleep again.

he sighs a little, patting her cheeks lightly to wake her. "y/nnn..." he coos, "y/n, wake up..."

suddenly, he hears somebody tearing through the camp entrance on horseback. his body jerks around, turning to see sugawara looking panicked.

"suga..?" he squints. "what's wrong?"

sugawara's face is covered in dirt and sweat, and his horse similarly so. he sits for a moment trying to calm his rowdy animal's nerves. they're both still anxious from whatever happened to them. 

daichi notices his struggle and quickly sits  
y/n's unconscious body down. he jogs over to sugawara, grabbing his horse by the reins to put a stop to its uncontrollable state.

"suga, talk to me." daichi looks up at him, a hand on the horse's neck as it calms itself.

"daichi, we have to get out of here." the silver-haired man replies with wide eyes, "seriously, like now—"

daichi's brow lowers and he shakes his head. "why? what's wrong?" he raises his voice a little, becoming slightly impatient with his own rising anxiety.

"i-i don't know what happened. one minute i'm in town and the next— th-the next, a group of bounty hunters are after me. i— they're coming, daichi," he says through ragged breaths. "i-i don't know what i was thinking... i led them straight back here. i don't know why i—"

it feels like the earth swallows daichi up whole by the way his stomach drops. a rush of adrenaline pumps through his veins as if on cue. a sickness comes over him, but he fights back the nausea. tuning out the rest of sugawara's frightened chattering, he scans the camp for the other oblivious gang members.

"everyone!" he yells, his voice deep and stern. they all turn their heads, halting any action they're in the middle of. "we have to leave, now! don't try to take anything with you, just run as far away from here as you can!" he orders.

immediately, they all gather themselves without question. some head straight for their horses, some go on foot. the entire camp scatters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 😹😹😹


	21. Chapter 21

daichi feels like he's in a nightmare.

his eyes rapidly trace the area where he left  
y/n. everyone else has gone by now and he's really pushing his luck by staying, but he doesn't want to leave without her.

except, she isn't there.

"y/n? y/n!" he yells, only to hear no response.

he runs a shaky hand through his hair. she was asleep just a moment ago, how could she have disappeared?

soon enough, he hears the thundering of hooves growing louder in the distance. the bounty hunters were getting dangerously close, signaling the urgency of his departure.

he can only hope that someway, somehow, she'd woken up at just the right moment and gotten far enough away on her own.

* * *

the carriage horses trot over the bumpy roadway. inside, lev sits quietly, peering out the partially covered window.

he watches as they pass sections of trees, hills, houses, and a body lying facedown on the ground that looks suspiciously similar to y/n.

at first, he dismisses it with a hum. then, he does a double-take, standing to his feet inside the carriage and hitting his head on the roof. "h-hey! hey, stop the carriage!" he calls to the man driving, holding the curtains of the window back.

the carriage jolts to a stop and he stumbles forward a bit, holding a hand out to keep his balance. he opens the door quickly, running over to the body.

upon flipping them over, he reveals that it actually is, in fact, y/n.

she groans a bit, eyes focusing on the sun before adjusting to lev in the foreground. "where... am i?"

"y/n!" lev sits her up, a hand resting by her shoulder blades.

it takes a moment, but eventually, she starts to wake up. she reaches out, placing a palm on his cheek to make sure she isn't still dreaming. "...lev?" she squints, realizing. "wait, _lev_?"

"y/n, what the heck are you doing?"

she looks at both her hands, examining them as if they held some kind of answer. "i... don't know. what _am_ i doing?"

"you were laying out here like you were dead!" he exclaims, growing increasingly more worried. his mind can’t help but prod at the idea that something bad might've happened to her.

after he gives her a quick looking over for any injuries, she speaks. "i think... i think i was sleeping."

lev blinks. "what?"

"i mean... i don't remember anything. i don't know how i got here. the last thing i remember is falling asleep."

"... so you sleepwalked? where did you come from?"

y/n's eyes widen. she tries to stand up a bit too fast for her current state. luckily, lev is there to raise her steadily. "daichi! i was with daichi!" she recalls, only confusing lev further.

"daichi? why were you with him—?"

"he must be so worried!" she tugs out of lev’s grasp, heading off in some random direction before stopping herself.

she has no idea where she is.

"wait, y/n. let me take you," he grabs her arm to get her attention, pointing behind him towards the carriage. "i know how to get there from here."

she doesn't hesitate to take up lev's offer. holding her dress up, she runs to step inside the carriage. lev waits for her get in first, then takes a seat beside her.

he calls the directions to the man upfront. when he sits back down, he smiles to y/n reassuringly.

y/n reciprocates the gesture despite her jitters. "thanks, lev."


	22. Chapter 22

the camp is completely destroyed.

their belongings have been ravaged through and torn apart, wagons and tents have been upturned in hopes of finding somebody cowering. it’s been reduced to a mess.

on top of that, it's empty.

y/n spends some time searching the area for anyone, but her efforts are in vain. every single one of them are long gone.

during her search though, she does find a group of riders checking tracks nearby. fortunately, they aren't close enough to see her. they leave shortly after, heading off somewhere in a hurry.

"man," lev mumbles, hand resting on the tree trunk beside him. "those are bounty hunters." he continues, his voice riddled with empathy. of course, daichi and his gang were rivals of his own, but anyone who had a bad name with the law knew what came with having bounty hunters on their trail. they're almost impossible to shake— once they catch wind of you, you'd better pray. 

y/n squints. she has a strong feeling tsukishima had something to do with this.

and he did.

when tsukishima wasn't satisfied with how the pay was rationed after the bank heist, kuroo accepted his offer to split y/n’s ransom money, but she was since proven useless. so, he tipped-off local bounty hunters about both gangs, which finally resulted in the hefty sum he wanted. 

she steps away from the sighting spot without a word.

"do you want to go after them?" lev asks, stopping her in her tracks. "if we follow them now, they'll lead us straight to daichi." he watches the group as they gallop through the grassy plains in the distance. 

after a moment of silence, she lets out a breath. "...no."

"what? are you sure?" he turns to her, surprised.

"and then what, lev? we all get busted?" there's a concoction of sadness and irritation in her voice that tells him she's more upset than he previously thought. "that's not something i want to get involved in. i'm tired of this gang stuff, anyway..." her tone evolves into a low muttering, "it was fun for a while, but it's not how i want to live."

lev's shoulders drop slightly. he opens his mouth to speak, but she interrupts him.

"daichi can handle himself.”

when she starts to walk away, lev hesitates. he glances at the bounty hunters one last time before deciding to follow at a distance.

the atmosphere is uncomfortably somber, the only noise between them being the leaves crunching underneath their strides. 

during the walk back through the camp, y/n glues her eyes to the ground, trying to avert her gaze from the aftermath. she worries that if she has to see it again, she'll cry in front of lev.

the carriage man has already left by the time they return, as lev's hours were spent. pondering their next move, they stand side by side quietly in the open field. 

"you can go now,” y/n says softly. "i'm probably just going to go home."

lev stares at the side of her face. the wind blows h/c strands across her profile, but he can still see how beaten up she is about having to be alone again. 

he can’t leave her like this.

"y/n, why don't you come with me?" 

raising her head slowly, she turns to meet his blue gaze. "what?” her brow furrows. “come with you...?" 

"yeah.” he gives a small, closed-mouth grin with a tilt of his head. "i've been on an expedition for the last month. i'm looking for a family heirloom of mine."

it sounds like more business she shouldn't be getting involved in— but she isn’t going to lie and say it doesn’t pique her interest. almost anything would be better than having to return to her shack. "are you sure you want me to come?"

“you're one of my best friends, who else would i want to accompany me?" he replies toothily. 

her face lights up at his words and she attempts to stifle a happy giggle. bounding towards him, she crashes into his torso and rubs her head into his chest. "you're the coolest, lev."

shocked by the impact, lev slowly lowers his hand to her back to reciprocate the embrace. "yeah,” he laughs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [lev] has joined the party!


	23. Chapter 23

fortunately for lev and y/n, they were able to stop a carriage not too far from the camp to take them to town. 

they wanted to stock up on supplies before they made the trip, which was apparently going to be a long one. 

lev takes note of the less and less amount of cash he seems to have, so he makes sure to tell y/n to go easy on the spending. they only need the essentials, that's it.

he hands y/n her sum and they head their separate ways for the time being. since the sun is on the verge of setting, they decided it would save some time if they split up to get what they need individually, marking the saloon as their meeting point.

as y/n scrambles through the town of tall oak, her sack fills with fruits, a vegetable or two for good health, and some cloth and string.

no, she isn't the best at stitching, but anything she could create would be better than being left butt-naked in the wilderness because a mountain lion decided their outfits were in bad taste.

after sifting through the sack one last time to make sure she isn't missing anything, she lets out a content hum and heads in the direction of the saloon. 

there's no sign of lev yet, so she figures he's probably still looking around. he isn't really one to rush.

as she’s about to set foot on the steps by the door, two figures come storming out, tripping and stumbling recklessly.

y/n jumps back to avoid being tumbled on, watching with wide eyes as the two men before her square up in the middle of town. 

one has the other by the collar, twisting the fabric in his hand. "you think you're smart, huh?!" he screams at the man secured in his fist, shaking him.

the other man, who's hair is a mix of silver and black, wears a smug look on his face. "listen bud, if we're gonna fight, let's just do it already!" he shouts enthusiastically, throwing his arms out to motion between them.

the instigator is taken aback at his response for a moment, but doesn’t hesitate to slam his fist into the side of his face. 

the duo-toned opponent staggers to the ground. he hardly gets to wipe the blood from his mouth before the other is on top of him, landing hit after hit.

the two create quite the scene, stirring up an enormous dust cloud and attracting a crowd. 

the man in the dirt winces with each hit, but when he notices the punches becoming slow and wobbly from fatigue, a tooth-gritting smirk spreads on his face. reaching up swiftly, he encases the next oncoming fist in his own, stopping the attack mid-air and looking up at him with a bloodied, fiery glint. 

the instigator struggles to free his hand, giving the silver-haired man just long enough to maneuver his leg through one of his, flipping him onto the dirt instead. 

now with the advantage, he positions himself to land a nasty hit, but his arm stills halfway as if hitting an imaginary barrier.

as a cloud of dust passes her face, y/n realizes his eyes have focused on hers. he's gone frozen as if forgetting what he's in the middle of, and she can’t help but cringe at the blood dripping from his nose, ears, and lip. 

the man pinned raises a brow at his distraction, seeing his chance to knock him out of his trance with an uppercut so mean it sends him flying backwards.

y/n flinches and covers her mouth. she almost runs over and check if he's somehow still alive, but a black-haired man with a weary face beats her to it. he shoves through the crowd angrily and rips the instigator away from the other’s limp body, who then goes on his way after spewing a few swears. 

the man proceeds to kneel by his unconscious friend, hoisting him up slightly and waking him with a loud slap. when his eyelids fly open and he glances around anxiously, y/n lets out a relieved sigh. she heads into the saloon with a hand on her pounding chest. 

what a mess.

she'll never understand why men do the things they do.


	24. Chapter 24

y/n pushes the saloon doors aside, patting the freshly collected dirt off her dress.

she sits at one of the tables and plops the sack down with a thump. with an impatient pout, she rests her arms on the table and props her head up. leave it to lev to insist on the importance of time and then stride around at turtle speed.

out of the corner of her eye, she sees a familiar figure waltz through the doors— not the one she was hoping for, though.

the man with spiky, duo-colored hair stands in the entranceway, bandages now wrapping his face. his eyes scan each table before they land on hers.

her features droop as he waves and bounces towards her with a smile.

she looks in the opposite direction quickly, covering the side of her face with her hand as if he didn't already see her.

"no, no, no..." she whispers to herself in a panic, the sounds of his happy-go-lucky footsteps growing louder and louder menacingly. all she wanted to do was meet with lev and leave, not have a conversation with a scrappy idiot.

when he sits down in the chair across from her roughly, she lets out a sigh and drops her hand.

his arms cross on the table and he leans down to look at her, eyebrows raised with an unwavering grin.

with a slow up-tilt of her head, she gives him a strained smile. "...hello...?"

he taps his fingers on the table in a quick wave-like motion, then laughs. "hey, hey, hey, it _is_ you!"

her face scrunches up at his reaction. "...hah?” does he think they know each other because they existed in close proximity for a short period of time?

"i saw you! during the fight! you're the reason i lost!" he exclaims a little too excitedly for the context. "i'm bokuto!" his hand juts out to shake, but she doesn’t take it.

"i... don't understand?" she side-eyes the door, hoping that lev would show up at any second. she’s pretty sure this guy is missing a few cogs upstairs. "isn't that bad?"

"not this time! you see, i've never lost a fight before..." he leans back in his chair, counting on his words to impress.

"never?" for some reason she finds that hard to believe. he was getting pummeled out there.

"nope! i always get them with my signature move— they get a few punches in, get tired, and then i shift the odds by flipping them over and having a go at 'em!" he slams his fist on the table and laughs obnoxiously, drawing a few questioning looks. “works every time!”

y/n lowers her head and shifts her eyes around uncomfortably, hoping her body language comes across. "okay... what does that have to do with me?" she hisses in an attempt to get him to lower his voice, but unfortunately he isn't the sensitive type.

"i saw your face!"

"my face?"

"yes!" he yells again, which seems to be his only means of communication. "your beautiful face!"

"ah—?” y/n’s body goes stiff and her eye twitches. no way this guy is serious...

"i was stunned by your beauty! paralyzed! that's never happened to me before, especially during a fight! do you know how hard it is to get my attention when i'm zeroing in on somebody?!" he stands up and slams both palms down on the table loudly— his face inches from hers, his crazy, thick eyebrows furrowed in joy. "impossible! or it was, until you came along!" he bares his white smile.

she leans back in her chair so far she could tip at any second, though he doesn't seem to be getting any farther away. incredibly confused about where he's going with all this, she raises a brow. "so... do you want me to fight you or—?”

"no!" much to y/n’s dismay, he steps one foot atop the table, raising a fist in the air triumphantly. "clearly, you're the only match for me! i want you to be my wife!”

she stares up at him with her mouth agape, dumbfounded and embarrassed. there's only one thing going through her mind at the moment.

_why, lev?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> time for my sister’s favorite LI route of the whole fic hahaha


	25. Chapter 25

like a knight in shining armor, or perhaps a light from the heavens opening up, lev enters the saloon. y/n can almost hear the angels singing.

he immediately notices the strange man standing on y/n's table. he can't even imagine what would initiate that kind of situation.

"hey?" he approaches with a low brow.

bokuto’s shoulders slump, arms falling to his sides. "who is this weird looking man?" he looks to y/n questioningly.

like a feral cat caught by surprise, lev puffs up defensively. "wha—weird looking—?!"

"he's a friend,” y/n states. he raises an eyebrow at her, but she doesn't elaborate much more than: "a friend i’d like to speak with. alone." 

"oh.” bokuto blinks, stepping down from the table awkwardly. in response to lev shooing him off, he sticks his tongue out before turning away. lev gasps, but lets it slide when he hears y/n call to him. he sits where bokuto sat, muttering something while sending a few grumpy glances towards him bothering somebody else at the bar.

y/n watches the spark of their childish feud with crossed arms. when she notices lev’s still not paying attention, she throws her hands up in the air. "where have you been?!" 

lev's eyes dart back to hers, body rigid at her tone. "wh— doing the same thing you were doing!"

"i've been sitting here for 15 minutes!"

his mouth opens and closes to find an excuse, but ultimately settles on a sigh. “okay, look. i'm sorry."

after a slight, stubborn pout, y/n accepts his apology. "whatever,” she mumbles. "so, what's this thing we're looking for?"

lev’s eyes light up and he digs into the bag slung over his shoulder, retrieving a map. "a property."

y/n blinks. "what?"

"more specifically, a mansion. my uncle lived there, he passed away a few months ago and entrusted the property to me by letter,” he explains as he flattens the map out on the table. then, his volume suddenly drops, brows furrowing in thought. "...but the thing is, i don't actually know how to get there..." he traces his finger over the paper, motioning in a general direction. “the region of the house isn’t on our map.”

she cocks her head to the side. “well, what's the place called?"

"beythstown—" 

both of them almost jump out of their seats as a figure seems to appear out of nowhere. "hey, hey, hey! i know where beythstown is!" 

y/n clutches the fabric over her chest. "what the— what are you doing?!" 

"i heard you two talking!" bokuto exclaims.

"where did you come from—?!" lev gets cut off as another person yells from across the bar, wiping their hands with a towel after returning from the outhouse. "hey, who let that guy back in here?!" they point to bokuto and like a deer in headlights, he stares at them wide-eyed. in a quick movement, he scurries towards the exit as several people attempt to escort him out. 

"i'm leaving! i'm leaving!" he protests as he's pushed through the door.

lev and y/n stare at each other in silence, blinking back and forth.

"anyway..." lev sighs, resting his cheek on his knuckle. "i’m just not really sure how we're going to do this. we could ask around, but that’ll take much longer than what we're supplied for...”

so far, the only things y/n hears coming from lev's mouth are bad things. he's making it sound like the trip is going to be impossible. 

she tunes him out, tongue in her cheek while she thinks. after a moment of realization, she rolls her eyes, smacking a palm to her forehead. 

"lev."

he glances up, pausing mid ramble. "hm?"

she looks him dead in the eyes with a defeated glint.

at first, he doesn't understand, but when he does, he sticks his nose up with a groan. "y/n, no."

her eyelids fall and she nods slowly. they couldn't just pass up an opportunity to live in a mansion, even if it meant doing something like this.


	26. Chapter 26

they trek down a narrow path, pine trees on either side of them.

up front, lev walks with his shoulders slumped and heavy. his fists ball up at his hips every time bokuto opens his mouth.

meanwhile, y/n repeatedly smacks bokuto’s hand away as he attempts to grab hers discreetly— as if she wouldn't notice somehow.

his black-haired friend, akaashi, trails behind. he occasionally taps bokuto on the shoulder to tell him to “stop bugging the poor girl”.

y/n sighs, looking down at her already aching feet. "why couldn't we just take a carriage, again?" she groans.

lev doesn't turn around. "because i don't have the money,” he replies flatly.

"i already told you, i have more than enough money for a carriage!" bokuto slaps a hand on y/n's back a little rougher than he intended.

y/n jolts forward at the impact, then swipes his hand away. "bokuto, you said you'd only pay for me, akaashi, and yourself. lev has to come with us."

bokuto crosses his arms and looks away with a scowl. "well, maybe lev should stop being poor."

the walk comes to a halt as lev spins around viciously, shoulders stiff and fingers twitching in anger. "shut up, you owl-faced moron!"

"make me!" bokuto hunkers down like a wild animal, ready to lunge at him. he smiles maliciously.

a vein pops out of levs forehead, then he charges with a frustrated scream. the two collide, tugging and smacking at each other like children.

akaashi runs between them in attempts to split them up, though only adding to the chaos. y/n plops down on the ground and whines defeatedly.

they've only been walking together for an hour.

* * *

two hours earlier

outside of the saloon, two familiar figures sit on the steps by the door. one is bokuto, who has his head resting in his hand, and the other is his friend, who looks incredibly bored. y/n assumes he's the smarter one out of the two who decided to not go inside earlier.

they don't notice their presence at first, so y/n places a soft tap on bokuto's shoulder. he turns around slowly, but his face lights up when he sees who it is. "hey!" he hurries to his feet, towering over her. "it’s— look who it is...! it’s... uh..." his excitement starts to falter when he remembers that he doesn't even know her name.

"y/n." she hesitantly juts her hand out to shake. of course, he does exactly as she anticipated— he grabs her hand roughly and bounces her around as he reciprocates.

"y/n!" he smiles widely.

she laughs awkwardly while he lets her go. "yes, and this is lev,” she motions to the man in the red button-up behind her. "and lev, this is bokuto... and..." she gestures towards the man in black beside bokuto, awaiting his response.

"akaashi," he responds. he and lev exchange a nod.

"so!" bokuto starts, “you decided you'll marry me?"

ignoring lev’s questioning glare she feels on the back of her head, she clasps her hands together and answers slowly. "um... no... not exactly."

bokuto blinks, lopping his head to the side. "huh? what is it then?"

lev and y/n explain the situation they're in. well, y/n does more explaining than lev, as she’s being a bit more polite than lev is.

"we'll pay you. we just really need your help," she says quietly. no, they don’t have any money right now, but she’s sure they'll get some eventually.

"pay me?" bokuto pauses. "... oh, you don't have to pay me. i'm going in that direction anyway."

it feels like a weight lifts off of both y/n and lev's shoulders. what a convenient coincidence.

y/n reaches forward and encases one of bokuto's hands inside hers excitedly. "oh! thank you, thank you! you're the best!" she bounces on her toes.

bokuto looks down at his hand in hers, a red hue forming on his face. akaashi groans as he sees a big, dopey smile spread on his features.


	27. Chapter 27

the peace is maintained as long as akaashi and y/n stand in between lev and bokuto.

they find themselves on a rocky hillside, the only pathway being a narrow ledge. y/n hums to herself, glad that they chose to separate lev and bokuto so soon. if they hadn't, one of them might've tried to push the other into the valley below.

droplets of water and mist cover their bodies as they pass a waterfall flowing over the cliff above. each person stops for a moment to allow the moisture onto their clothes and skin, cooling themselves. bokuto even reaches terrifyingly far over the edge to cup some of the water in his hand, swishing it around in his mouth before swallowing it.

y/n peeks ahead of lev in attempts to see how much further the ledge goes on for, and it doesn't seem like it's going to end anytime soon. she sighs in dismay. the feeling of her fingers digging into the rock for balance and the creak in her neck from forcing herself to not look down is becoming unbearable.

her thoughts wander as she tries to get her mind off of this inconvenient portion of the journey. "so, bokuto, why are you heading to beythstown?"

bokuto's head pops up to meet her eyes, his arched brows raised. "huh?"

"you said you were already going to beythstown?" she recalls him telling her before.

he looks back down into the valley, face blank as he watches the treetops pass. "oh... for a job."

"a job? what kind of work do you do?"

"we're hitmen,” akaashi joins in flatly.

y/n stops dead in her tracks and lev does the same not soon after. the two behind are stared down with expressions of shock.

"hitmen? really?" lev peers over y/n’s head. his eyes roll, sure they’re bluffing.

y/n on the other hand, reacts to the news a bit differently.

"yeah! really?! you kill people for a living?!" she shrieks, almost losing her footing in her panic.

bokuto, who's features are more hardened than y/n had ever seen, leans forward to give akaashi an upset look. he then glances back to y/n. “... it’s nothing you two need to worry about,” he answers sternly, but his tone is soft and reassuring.

y/n stares at them, mouth agape. before she can find any words to say, she hears lev moving forward again. she hesitates at first, but resumes the motion of the line.

it's silent for quite some time.

she tries to keep looking ahead. bokuto didn't seem to enjoy the previous topic, so the atmosphere between them feels a bit awkward now. though, she couldn't help but notice something creeping into her mind. "... i thought you had to be quiet to do that kind of thing?" she mumbles, thinking out loud.

bokuto tenses, "ah— i am quiet!" he shouts. his shoulders fall when he sees akaashi raise his hand to his mouth to hide a chuckle.

"no, you don't always have to be." akaashi answers, a small smile on his face.

lev scoffs without turning around. "that would make sense. i don't know how else _bokuto_ would be able to do it,” he chips in, a taunting tone to his voice.

naturally, bokuto takes the bait. "hey!" his brows furrow when he sees y/n snicker quietly at lev’s remark. akaashi's eyes widen when bokuto tries to hurdle his body to get to lev, grabbing onto his shoulders and lunging forward like a mad man. "i’ll show you 'quiet'! sleep with one eye open tonight, ugly!" his limbs go spastic as akaashi blocks him, pushing him away with one hand and holding onto the wall with the other.

lev spins around furiously, an offended scowl on his features. "u-ugly?!" his hands ball at his sides. "who are you calling ugly, bird-eyes?!"

y/n sighs and puts her palms on lev’s chest to push him onwards. his legs stiffen and drag against the ground as he continues to shout insults. "is 'quiet' even in your vocabulary, _moron_? do you even know what that means?!" he raises an accusing finger.

the two behind nearly tip off the edge as bokuto wraps his arm around akaashi's head and digs his shoes into his back. he piggybacks off of him, pointing back. too distracted by his current quarrel, he doesn't even seem to notice that he almost kills them both. "your face is quiet!"

" _WHAT_?"

as if walking a mile-long ledge hardly wide enough to support one person while worrying about falling 200 feet to your inevitable doom wasn't enough, they now have to listen to bokuto and lev bicker the entire time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE HIMBOS ARE FIGHTINGGGG


	28. Chapter 28

at the halfway point of their journey, they make a stop at a rather large town called dayhaven.

fed up with camping, bokuto insists he has enough money to pay for everyone's stay at one of the inns— yes, even lev's after some persuading from y/n.

it’s only early in the evening, so they have time to enjoy themselves a bit as well. this also allows them to stock up on supplies, using the little money lev had.

up north near beythstown is _much_ more populated than where y/n lives. because of this, dayhaven is bustling with people and quite city-like— though, not entirely.

despite the town's look of urban modernity, the areas where the tall-buildings and crowds lessened are familiar to y/n. many farms and cattle fields still found their place here, which in a way feels comforting to her.

during one of their indulgent, sightseeing walks, bokuto breaks away from the pack, rushing over to a flier on a post. "no way!"

y/n appears beside him, peeking over his shoulder. "what is it?"

bokuto rips the paper from its hanging point, spinning around and holding it out for everyone to see. "a rodeo!" he exclaims with bright eyes and an especially wide grin.

studying the paper, y/n bends slightly at the waist to read the print.

_'ANNUAL DAYHAVEN RODEO_  
_GRAYSON ARENA_  
_THURSDAY, STARTING AT SUNDOWN_  
_DONT MISS IT!'_

a groan coming from one of the others catches her attention. she straightens up and her eyes flicker to akaashi.

"bokuto, come on, not this again." he grabs the flyer and examines it closer, a disinterested expression on his features.

bokuto whines akaashi's name, reaching for the paper.

y/n’s head lops to the side, a pondering finger brushing her lip. "what's the deal, akaashi?"

while fighting off bokuto's grabby-hands, he glances to her and sighs. "he drags me to these things _every time_ they're in town and i hate it. they're loud, there's too many people—"

"akaashi! akaashi, listen—!" bokuto lunges forward a final time, snatching the paper from his hands successfully. he holds it to akaashi's face, pointing to a line of words in red at the bottom of the page. "it says they're allowing entries! we have to go to this one!"

y/n leans in and scans the page where bokuto gestures to, confirming the words she missed earlier.

"all the more reason not to go! are you trying to die?!" more agitated now, akaashi smacks bokuto's arm away.

lev steps forward, holding a candy apple in his mouth. "how much to enter?" he mumbles against the fruit he bought at a stand nearby, fingers sifting through his wallet.

akaashi's head snaps towards the man, mouth open and eyes wide. "what—?" of all people, he thought lev would be on his side.

"see! even lev wants to go, we _have_ to!" bokuto tugs akaashi's arm and motions to lev.

"lev?" akaashi questions.

"hey, one time won't hurt. plus, it'll be fun. we haven't got to do a lot of that in the past few days,” he responds, moving the apple from his mouth to his hand. he really does want to go, even if it's just to see bokuto eat dirt.

akaashi blinks and looks to y/n, who, much to his dismay, shrugs with a smile.

bokuto's face lights up and he throws both fists up in the air. he lets out a celebratory "hey, hey, hey!" which turns a few heads. "we're going to the rodeo, baby!"

y/n giggles and akaashi sighs. she places a hand on his slumped shoulders. "oh, come on. lev is right, it'll be fun."

his eyes flit to hers, then to bokuto, who is already a ways ahead exclaiming, "entry fees on me tonight! especially you, lev! we're gonna get you on a bull, man!" he then proceeds to smack him on the back roughly, a smile from ear to ear as he ignores lev's blatant disagreeing.

akaashi almost feels a grin coming on at the thought of lev bull-riding. "sure,” he exhales through his nose slowly.


	29. Chapter 29

after asking around some, the group manages to locate the grayson arena. luckily for them, they make it just as the sun begins to fall from the sky, meaning they were some of the first to arrive.

the line to the entrance gate is short, so they waste little time waiting. attendance costs some, but not much.

the grounds begin to fill in fast. the wooden bleachers soon have only a few seats left. bokuto insists that y/n and the others save their seats while he hurries to the entries booth.

at the booth, he pulls wads of cash out of his wallet, and the person inside hands him a piece of paper as proof of his purchase.

y/n's eyes glance around rapidly— both in excitement and nervousness. they sit in front of a large, fenced-in arena, which is empty at the moment. lanterns light up the area just enough so they can see everything. the sound of voices mixing together is overwhelmingly loud, she's never seen this many people in one place before.

just over the visible horizon, the only remnants of the sun are its reddened rays in the sky where it set a few moments ago. this signals that the event will start soon.

y/n grips at the ends of her dress anxiously. "where’s bokuto?"

"he'll be back,” akaashi answers flatly, watching as a man enters the arena.

the man, covered in loose, leather fringe that sways whenever he moves, raises a megaphone to his lips. "welcome, everyone, to dayhaven’s tenth annual rodeo!" he calls, and the crowd bursts into a cheer. "tonight, we are expecting a fantastic line-up of—" he goes on about a few different things, charming the audience into believing they'll get their money's worth.

during the speech, bokuto climbs up the bleachers spastically, basically running on all fours.

he stops at y/n's row, sputtering and leaning over to catch his breath.

"bokuto! where have you been?" y/n scoots over to give him room to sit, patting the bench.

he sits beside her, then holds up the tickets in his hands. "got... the entries in..." he explains through breaths.

lev’s heart drops at the sight of two tickets. his face falls and he crosses his arms. "great." he somehow hoped that the booth attendant wouldn't let an idiot buy entry tickets.

"we'll have to go down there in a bit, lev,” bokuto cups the side of his mouth and points to a gate on the other end of the arena, where a figure can barely be seen through the fencing mounting up on a bull.

"first rider of the night folks! yamamoto taketora on bull 'shoeshine'!"

as the announcement knocks him out of his pout, lev leans forward in anticipation. "wait, did he say taketora?"

y/n nods with a hum. yamamoto was one of the members of kuroo's gang before it dispersed.

there's a moment of suspenseful silence before the man pulls the latch to the gate. it barely gets a second to open on its own as the black bull comes crashing out, slamming the gate open so hard it swings back into the fence and the hinges snap.

the bull breaks into a spinning buck immediately. yamamoto hardly lasts three seconds on its back, getting sent flying into the dirt. the crowd erupts into a series of screams as the bull—who decides it isn't finished with him yet—makes his way to the sprawled out rider.

yamamoto lifts his head to see a pair of horns and thundering hooves bounding towards him.

he rises to his feet quickly and stumbles to the fence, just barely making it away safely as he throws himself over and lands on his back on the other side.

it takes the outriders almost five minutes to catch the bucking menace.

with a grimace, y/n glances over to the others.

lev, like any sane person, slumps down in his seat and sinks his face into his collar. "i'm gonna die..." he mumbles.

bokuto, on the other hand, jumps up out of his seat and raises a determined fist in the air. "yeah! i'm riding that one!" he points to the bull being led out of the arena, a spirited glint in his eye.


	30. Chapter 30

when it’s time for lev and bokuto to head to the gate, y/n's anxiety increases tenfold.

bokuto stands up in his seat, motioning for lev to follow. y/n grits her teeth, hands gripping the ends of her dress.

she'd seen at least ten riders get demolished in the arena since taketa's ride— most ending up with severe injuries. why would lev and bokuto's rides be the exceptions?

it's obvious that this is something bokuto really wants to do, and she doesn't want to stop him from doing that, but if she's honest, she doesn't want to see him or lev get hurt either.

unable to control her nerves anymore, her hand instinctually reaches out for bokuto's wrist, stopping both boys in their tracks. "wait—"

"huh?" bokuto turns to see y/n staring down at the ground with a hold on him. he raises a brow at lev, who shrugs in reply.

she freezes, her words falling short unexpectedly. is this so hard because she doesn't want it to seem like she has no faith in them? or is it because she'd have to entertain the fact that she cared about bokuto? "can you... stay here? do you have to go?"

without hesitation, lev smiles and lowers himself into his seat, already propping his elbows behind his head leisurely. "sounds good to me—"

"lev! stand up!" bokuto barks and lev sighs, rising with hunched shoulders. he knew he wasn't going to get out of this that easily. 

"y/n, what's wrong?" bokuto's attention switches to y/n again quickly, squatting in front of her. he drops his head to see her face, which is hidden in her locks of hair. much to his surprise, she's burning up, and won't look him in the eyes. 

her words get caught in her throat from how humiliating this is becoming. "nothing. never mind," she chokes, "just go."

he uses his finger to turn her head. "please tell me." even though he usually isn’t good at gauging others’ emotions, something is clearly bothering her, and he doesn’t like it.

after meeting his gaze, she lets out a defeated huff. "... i just think it would be...dumb... if you guys got hurt." 

bokuto stares at her, seemingly broken. his mouth then opens wide before each corner turns up into a triumphant smile. "y/n!" he lets out a giddy cackle.

she stifles a groan, knowing exactly what’s about to happen.

he takes both her hands in his. 

she furrows her brows. here it comes—

"you care about me!" he yells, causing her to wince slightly. "i knew it!" the surrounding crowd quiets a bit at the commotion, turning their heads.

y/n shrinks in her seat at the feeling of so many eyes on them. "bokuto..." she hisses, "it's not that big of a deal..."

like he doesn't hear a word she's saying, he continues, "i've never had somebody care about me before..." his voice cracks and he wipes at one of his eyes.

y/n flinches. he isn’t crying now, is he?! "you're overreacting!"

"hey!" akaashi yells in unison with y/n, clearly offended.

there's a pause of recollection, then bokuto squeezes her hands. "y/n, don't worry about me. i'll win for you!" he looks into her eyes confidently, his mood completely changing from a moment ago. "it'll be romantic!"

lev snickers. "romantic? for who? you and the bull?" 

bokuto lets go of y/n's hands and twists to face lev, his muscles tense. "for me and y/n, troll-face!"

before lev can fire back, the announcer in the arena intervenes with his megaphone. he calls out a handful of numbers, including the ones on their tickets.


	31. Chapter 31

yes, the next thirty minutes are indeed a disaster. 

first up is lev. while the rider before him starts his run, he’s shown the available mounts.

he gets to choose between a bull or a horse. lev thinks of himself as a pretty good equestrian, so naturally, he chooses a horse. 

though, despite how he sees himself as a rider, he is not brave.

he chose the smallest horse in the ring, a stocky bay appaloosa, not much bigger than a pony. 

once the other rider finishes, he’s reluctantly sent to the gate. the horse is loaded and they usher lev onto its back. it takes more than a little convincing for him to actually sit down and not just hover with a foot on either side of the chute. 

he sits atop the animal nervously, doing his best to listen to instructions while his mind races with anxiety. he tries to calm down by reminding himself that his toes are skimming the ground.

the announcer asks his name, then turns to the crowd. "next, we have lev haiba on 'junebug'!" 

the next few seconds happen so fast lev can hardly comprehend it. the gate flies open and the horse exits with a leap. with one hand in the air, he holds on for dear life. 

the horse runs across the arena in a series of bucks. lev manages for the most part— all until the horse takes a sharp left. unable to counterbalance due to the disproportionate size comparison, he's sent face-first into the dirt. with a groan, he spits the contents out of his mouth. 

at this moment, flattened on the ground while a bronc runs around him wildly, he decides that a particular owl-faced moron will never hear the end of this. 

as he exits the arena, he walks past bokuto standing on the fence by the stands, shouting taunts and scream-laughing. "that was awesome! can you do it again?!" he yells, slapping the boards separating them in amusement.

lev side-eyes him, then spits a wad of saliva and dirt into his face.

"wha— hey!"

he smirks as he hears bokuto gag behind him, muttering a handful of assorted comments, such as "you're disgusting!" or "it got in my mouth!" 

bokuto wipes his face repeatedly with his sleeve, scowling as lev disappears from view. it doesn't take long for him to be called to the gate next.

he hands the person in front of the entrance his ticket, who examines it a moment before letting him by. 

when he's brought to select a mount, he knows exactly what he wants. he doesn't even look. instead, he just outright tells them, "shoeshine."

the livestock-handler does a double-take to make sure he's serious. bokuto's unwavering, determined expression is enough confirmation for him, so he collects the animal as he's told.

the duo is loaded into the chute shortly after. bokuto lowers himself onto the rowdy beast, resting on its broad back. 

the announcer approaches. "what's your name, son?"

"bokuto kotarou, sir!" he grins proudly, pointing to his chest with his thumb.

without another word, the man faces the crowd. "ladies and gentlemen, here we have bokuto kotarou, on 'shoeshine'!" the announcer laughs charismatically, but also a tad pitifully. "brave one, isn't he?" 

the crowd erupts into cheers, including y/n, who cups her hands around her mouth and whistles loudly. 

the announcer places his hand on the gate, and with a breath, he releases the duo into the ring.

bokuto raises his free hand in the air, the other secured tightly under the bull rope. he smirks as the bull begins to spin like it did under yamamoto, anticipating its moves. the audience goes wild as the seconds go by. when he surpasses yamamoto's time of four seconds, they're almost positive he'll make it.

or maybe he won't.

with his thoughts blinded by the thunderous cheers and flashing lights of the arena, he finds himself so caught up in his pride that it hinders his performance.

in a single moment of carelessness, he gets sent over the bull's head. he expects to splay out on the soft footing, but lets out a ragged gasp when he’s instead met with a violent jolt. looking up from the bull’s side, he’s just able to catch sight of his hand refusing to slip from the rope. unable to stand amidst the chaos, the split second that he's stuck is just long enough for him to get trampled on.

once enough movement finally frees his hand, he falls too close to the rampaging animal, practically beneath it. as the outriders direct the bull away, one last buck sends a hoof directly into bokuto's face, knocking him out cold.

it's like the world stops.

y/n leans forward, her eyes inhumanly wide and heart in her stomach. 

akaashi holds his breath and his fingers reflexively grip at the fabric over his knees. 

even lev, who was on his way back to his seat, stops dead in his tracks. after realizing what’s happened, he feels completely frozen.

the audience goes silent as the outriders jump off their horses and run to bokuto's unconscious body.

the suspense in the air is suffocating.

y/n bolts from her seat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if there are any rodeo queens reading this and cringing rn LMAO i only have a basic understanding of how behind the scenes stuff works with broncs 🧎😔


	32. Chapter 32

y/n walks up the stairs of the inn, heading to the corridor of rooms on the left. 

morning light from the series of windows illuminates the hall. it shifts and dances on her shape as she moves past, leaving a tinge of warmth behind. 

she stops in front of the farthest door, meeting a figure who was on their way out.

they close the door slowly, only to flinch at the sight of y/n standing behind them. "ah, hello.” akaashi lets his hand slip off of the doorknob.

"hi, didn't mean to startle you.” she smiles apologetically. "is he awake?"

"yes. i just brought him his breakfast." akaashi nods, then notices the bandages she’s juggling in her hands. "here," he opens the door again for her, ushering her inside.

"thanks, akaashi." with a grateful curtsy, she enters and listens to the sound of the dark, oak door click shut behind her. 

inside, bokuto's head pops up from his food at the sight of her. "hey!" an enormous grin forms on his features, one that she'd never take for granted again. 

"hey.” she begins placing the bandage rolls on the nightstand. "good morning."

eyeing the contents in her hold, he groans playfully. "agh, time to rewrap the bandages again?" he sets his tray of food aside on the bed.

"yep! i think we should change them before we leave. it'll just be easier." with a hand on his back, she sits him up so she can cut away the old wraps. certain spots where the hooves made contact had left cuts, including areas on his back, chest, and face. he was very lucky to be alive— a miracle almost. somehow, the impacts didn't do nearly as much damage as they usually would. 

though, the blow he took to the head did leave him with a concussion for a few days, so he'd been staying in the inn until he was well enough to continue their journey— which would be today.

he sits quietly while she does her work, a content smile on his face while his eyes fall shut. he was always the quietest he'd ever been when she tended to him.

when she starts to unwrap the binding on his head, his eyes open slightly. he feels a bit of warmth arise in his cheeks, noticing how close she is. he can’t help but focus on the soft, rainbow-colored tint from the sunlight on her skin, or the way her mouth parts when she leans forward to pull the bandage from the back of his head. even when he closes his eyes or averts his gaze, he can’t escape the lavender scent emitting off of her dress, or the occasional feeling of her fingers ever-so-slightly brushing against his hair.

"i can't believe these are healing so fast..." 

his stomach drops slightly when he hears her mutter softly, her breath fanning against his forehead as she examines the wound. 

regaining composure, he straightens his back and puts on a cocky expression. "i'm just that strong!"

she scoffs with a laugh, reaching for the new set of bandages. "yeah, yeah, whatever."

suddenly, his face falls. "i'm serious. you could aim a bullet for my heart and i'd live."

"i get it." her features stiffen slightly, sitting back down on the bed with a creak.

he furrows his brows, opening his mouth just to close it again. with a shake of his head, he drops the topic.

after a moment of silence, she catches herself smiling, hoping he wouldn't comment on it. inside, she loves how he’s always so confident— albeit a little scrappy in result. it made her laugh, the kind of laugh that made your chest feel warm, the kind that made you feel at ease yet so full of energy synchronously. 

she’s pretty sure she’s becoming addicted to this feeling. fond of it, searching for it. she found herself wanting to be around bokuto more and more, especially over the past few days. she insisted she be the one to apply medicine and do his bandages, just so she could be close to him.

she knew he felt something towards her, ever since the day they met. so why is it so hard to just... reciprocate? 

is it because of the underlying fear that he didn't truly like her as much as he led on? the creeping idea that he only sees her as a trophy of sorts?

"y/n," her heart skips a beat at the sound of his voice interrupting her thoughts. "can i tell you something?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just wanna say tht all ur comments mean so much to meeeeee 😫😫😫😭😭😭😭💕💕💕💕💕 i love reading ur thoughts and feedback lol u guys r too nice to me !!!!! 💕💕 (also shorter chapter i know but ill be posting more today dont worry 🤟🏻🤟🏻)


	33. Chapter 33

"it’s... kind of dumb," bokuto continues, "but i feel like i should tell you."

y/n’s hands come to a stop, falling into her lap slowly as she positions herself to listen. "you can tell me."

he breathes in deeply. "you know how i said i was going to beythstown for a job?"

she nods.

"well, i... wasn't going for a job. i wasn't planning on going to beythstown at all."

y/n squints, then shakes her head in confusion. "what?”

"uh..." his shoulders stiffen as he realizes he has to explain further. "i wanted to go because... i wanted to be where you were." his eyes shift around. when y/n doesn't respond or react immediately, he repeats his words to himself, realizing how they sounded. "not in a creepy way, i promise! well, maybe it is a little creepy. is it? i don't know— i wanted to get to know you better, and i could help you, so—" he rambles.

"bokuto!" y/n cuts him off, stifling a laugh.

he watches her expectantly, face red. this did not go how he planned.

she’s mad, isn’t she?

"it's okay." she smiles softly. "i'm glad you came with us." a reassuring hand settles on his knee.

the corners of his mouth tug upward slightly, his face lighting up in a familiar way. "really?"

"really."

they stare at each other.

"are you embarrassed right now?" y/n questions, unable to disregard the sight of his cheeks beaming a rosy hue. she’s pretty sure he's never been embarrassed before in his life.

"very," he answers flatly.

for a few awkward moments, they continue staring before bursting into a fit of laughter, their cackles filling the room symphonically. whether they’re using the breakdown as a way to relieve tension or because the situation is actually funny, they wouldn't know.

y/n wipes at her eyes while bokuto still fights off a few chuckles. catching him off guard, her body wraps around his gently, all the while staying mindful of his injuries. "i'm _really_ glad you came with us. seriously." she mentions softly beside his neck.

it takes a second for him to process what's happening. he slowly wraps his arms around her as well, tightening the hug. a giddy noise slips out of his mouth as he relaxes into the embrace, nuzzling her hair.

* * *

the next few days were rather pleasant, basking in sunshine and gentle warmth. there were no more mountains to scale or spooky forests to brave, just smooth sailing.

literally.

a large lake separated dayhaven and beythstown, requiring the group to continue by boat. they used a simple wooden one made for fishing, which they rented at the pier.

you’d think that shoving the rowdy group of four in such a small space would be disastrous, but it was quite tranquil, as their time was mostly spent on floating leisurely and their fingertips skimming the clear water.

during this portion of the trip, y/n came to find that bokuto fries like bacon in the sun. a few days beneath the rays with no shade would give anybody a slight tint, but the contrast of bokuto’s tan-lines were so extreme that it looked like he was wearing clothes underneath his clothes. was it weird that she thought it was cute?

lev and bokuto's bickering eventually evolved into banter amidst this time, which kept y/n and akaashi entertained. though, that doesn’t mean there weren’t a few close calls that almost sent everybody into the water.

at night, the gang had their fair share of stories to tell and songs to sing, lighting up the depths of the lake with the rhythmic swinging of their lantern, and perhaps disturbing a few nearby residents as well.

when they finally approach the misty dock on the other side, it’s more bittersweet than anything.

nobody can hide the fact that they’ve grown fond of their little pack— even akaashi. they try not to let their dawning departure bother them, but that just ends in not much being said.

bokuto hops out of the boat, his figure tearing through the morning fog as he secures it with a rope. holding an arm out, he pulls each person to land one by one.

when they’re all waiting on the dock, he looks to lev, who’s standing opposite him. they don't speak for a moment, presumably contemplating whether or not to jeer at each other. instead, they settle on roughly connecting in a hug, their hands smacking each other's backs.

when they separate, lev lands a palm on bokuto's shoulder. "it's been real."

"the realest. " with that and a nod, bokuto turns to y/n. she stands with her hands clasped together in front of her, seeming a little nervous.

he approaches with a huge smile, which may have been somewhat pained. before she can do or say anything, he engulfs her in a hug as well. "i think this is where we part,” he mumbles by her ear. at this point, his smile is gone.

with her hands trapped against his chest, she rests her head against him. "can't you stay with us?"

he chuckles softly. "akaashi and i don't 'stay'." which, unfortunately, she knows is the truth. the only way for them to find work is to move from place to place.

y/n sighs and he releases her.

"promise we'll find each other again sometime, okay?" he forces a smile again once his face comes back into view.

she goes silent, eyes rapidly tracing his features. just when he's about to ask for reassurance again, she stands on her toes and leans in. her lips gently place a kiss on his own. when she backs away, her face is burning hot and her hands shake just a bit.

"promise," she mumbles, eyes on the ground.

bokuto stands stiffly, color slowly seeping onto his blank face.

after realizing his friend is short-circuiting, akaashi sighs and grips his hand tightly. "come on," he tugs bokuto onward, exchanging goodbyes of his own before turning away.

soon, the party shrinks down to just y/n and lev once again, leaving the two on the dock alone.


	34. Chapter 34

the property isn't too far from the dock. a short walk through the shipping port and a little ways down a narrow, muddy path is the extent of their travels. 

though a little hard to spot in the thick, early morning mist, the mansion soon comes into the duo's line of sight. it's secluded in a huddle of trees, the property going on for miles. 

"lev," y/n points to the enormous farmhouse, speaking for the first time since they left the dock— separating with bokuto and akaashi had left the mood pretty somber. 

lev's eyes part from his feet to where she’s gesturing to. he smiles weakly. "oh, finally. i'm exhausted..." 

she giggles at his grumbling. the small, wooden boat they took didn't really make for a comfortable place to sleep. to be able to sprawl out in a real, cozy bed to call their own again sounded almost too good to be true. 

the home grows larger and larger as they approach. at the point of walking through the decorative gate at the front, it towers over them. y/n didn't know houses so big even existed. 

she stares up at the architecture in awe, seeing lev head inside in her peripheral. as she’s about to follow, she stops outside the door a moment, looking back out into the woods. a bit of excitement ceases from her face.

she didn't expect it to be so... lonely.

there were no nearby towns— with the exception dayhaven, which was days across the lake— or neighboring houses. considering they’re smack-dab in the middle of nowhere, the presence of animals, bugs, or any other kind of life is also lacking. 

they’re truly, utterly, alone.

or so she thought.

shouting emerges from the house, along with the sounds of things being thrown and broken. 

she flinches, eyes widening in horror. "lev!" she shrieks, hearing no response from him as he struggles inside.

the pounding of her feet on the wood floors is barely audible against the chaos. despite the unruly amount of rooms connected to the hall, the noise leads her directly to where she needs to be.

at the end of the hallway, there's a larger, singular archway. as she gets closer, she can see movement inside. 

"get off of me!" lev's voice cracks and another slam is heard.

"i thought i told kuroo about this kind of thing!" 

she hesitates at the second, unknown voice. their furious tone echoing through the hall could give her chills.

"i don't even know who you are!" lev hisses.

"l-lev...?" y/n stands in the entryway of the kitchen, unable to move. she mentally curses herself for freezing up, but the sight of lev bloodied and pinned in front of her is shocking.

the fight stills. lev's been pushed face-first onto the table in the middle of the room. the aggressor is bent over him with their elbow on his neck, one of lev's hands secured behind him with their own. 

both of their eyes flicker up at y/n simultaneously.

"who...—?" the strange man's chocolate-colored eyes study her, his features falling in confusion. 

feeling the grip on his wrist loosen, lev sees the opportunity to break away. he rips his hand from his hold and flattens both palms on the tabletop, pushing off of it with all the power he can muster. 

thankfully, due to lev's size, it works. he sends the intruder stumbling back into the counters. plates and pots rattle as they hit the floor around him.

the man's gaze darts back and forth between y/n and lev, his chest heaving from the action. it seems he's at a loss for words.

lev wipes the trail of blood from his nose with his arm, straightening himself. "who... who are you?" he lets out a recuperating exhale after each word. 

the other’s lip curls in a smirk, his hand reaching up to push his disheveled bangs out of his face. "you really don't know who oikawa tooru is?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oikawa stans i know its been a long wait but your time has finally come 🙏🏻


	35. Chapter 35

"no,” lev replies flatly.

clearly caught off guard, oikawa blinks. "what?"

"what are you doing in my house?"

"wait, seriously? that's not a joke? like, you don't know who i am?" he's too upset with the bruise to his ego that he completely glosses over lev's question.

unamused, lev crosses his arms. "no, should i? —and wait, before you answer that, does it explain why _you're in my house?"_

every passing stage of accepting the fact that lev was serious is visible on oikawa's face. "...uh, renowned kingpin and millionaire," oikawa gestures to himself like he's speaking to a toddler. "i pretty much run things around here— and no, this isn't your house, it’s mine." he mirrors lev's stance, sizing him up again.

"your house?"

"yeah. i should be asking you what _you're_ doing here."

lev narrows his eyes as oikawa steps away from the cabinets towards him. "how is this your house, exactly?"

oikawa grins. "because i wanted it, so it’s mine."

"so you stole my house?"

"yes."

"you can't steal a house."

"i already did."

lev takes a step back in both disbelief and rising anger. "that's not... i’ll get the sheriff—" he stutters.

rapidly, oikawa advances on lev until his back is against the table, fencing him between his arms. as y/n goes to intervene, oikawa shoots her a look that makes her glue her feet to the ground.

"i _am_ the sheriff of beythstown," he replies lowly and smug. his eyes and smile widen with every second that lev spends processing his words. the sheer amount of joy he's experiencing from seeing the expression on his face is unsettling, to say the least.

both y/n and lev are unable to speak. what do you even say to that?

"and resorting to being a snitch? that's sad, considering you're a member of nekoma. i thought you guys were better than that?" he adds, cooing mockingly.

recalling him saying kuroo's name earlier too, lev pushes him away. "what do you know about that? what do you know about any of that?" his voice trembles as a dose of fear starts to pump through his veins. what’s with this guy?

staggering backward some, oikawa shakes his head and stares at the floor for an uncomfortable amount of time. when he looks up again, he's baring his teeth. "weren't you listening? i'm top-dog around here! i have every gang like yours under my thumb, of course i know!" he cocks his head to the side cheerily, any trace of his strange aggression from before having been erased.

"but—" y/n blurts out, causing his eyes to land on her. she tries not to notice the way his smile falters. "listen, we traveled all the way here. we're from tall oak, have you heard of it?"

a noise comes from oikawa's throat. "i have. is that where nekoma resides nowadays?" his gaze flickers back to lev.

"no,” y/n speaks again before lev can answer. "nekoma," she presumes the name of kuroo's gang, "has dispersed—"

"has it? that's interesting,” he interrupts, a tinge of what sounds to be displeasure in his tone.

y/n lets out a breath, continuing as she remembers whatever is between them has nothing to do with her. "...so, we came here. we have nowhere else to go." she stares at him pleadingly, hoping he won't kick them out. staying with someone like him isn't ideal, but it's better than nothing.

the side of his head juts upwards with his tongue in his cheek. he thinks, peering down at her. “alright..." he says slowly, "since kuroo and i are such _good friends,_ i suppose i'll let you stay."

ignoring her heart skipping a beat at the mention of kuroo, y/n and lev release sighs in unison.

at least they have a roof over their heads.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come get yalls mans he acting up ‼️ 🗣🗣🗣


	36. Chapter 36

although lev's pretty upset about it, they allow oikawa to show them the beds he deems they can sleep in. he points to and names the occasional passing room, only slowing down his stride a bit to let them look briefly.

they go up a stairway which leads to another enormous part of the house. it's like it's never-ending, y/n thinks.

"oikawa?" she breaks the silence, a thought popping into her mind.

without turning around, oikawa hums sweetly in acknowledgment.

"you're a millionaire, right?" she asks, observing the decor and paintings on the wall as they walk by.

"i am."

for a moment, she wonders if she should ask, pulling her lip between her teeth. "so, why didn't you just buy your own mansion?"

lev flinches as the words leave her mouth, gawking. though, the prompt attack he expects from oikawa never comes.

instead, he replies calmly, waving an explanatory hand in the air. "don't be silly. i'm a millionaire because i don't _buy_ mansions, i steal them."

"YOU CAN'T STEAL A HOUSE!"

he ignores lev's outburst, continuing, "you have to be smart with your money. only spend it on necessary things— if you can get around paying for it, then don't."

y/n nods, mentally taking notes. "genius..." she mutters under her breath.

a few more steps ahead there's a door, a dark oak one with a patterned frame. on the wall beside it is a painting of a vast field with cows, and on the opposing wall is a large window.

"well, this is your stop, lev." oikawa turns the handle and lets the door swing open lazily. inside, there's a room that could fit the entirety of y/n's old house; a large bed in the middle and windows tracing the wall against the forest. it's open and airy, but a bit lacking in decor.

lev exhales happily at the sight of the bed, jogging and plopping himself down on it. he practically sinks into the blanket. the sack carrying his belongings slips from his fingers onto the floor. "awesomeee..." he laughs.

then, he shoots up straight at the sound of the door creaking closed. he meets oikawa's eyes coldly. "wait, where is y/n going to sleep?"

y/n looks up at the man by her side, who she catches glaring down at her blankly.

"in her own room, of course. where else?" he replies, appearing chipper again.

lev leans forward, more stern. "and which room would that be?"

without hesitation, oikawa answers in a peppy tone through beaming teeth, "why? are you some kind of freak?"

if you didn't speak the same language, you'd think lev was the one antagonizing oikawa.

testily, lev's fingers grip the white comforter beneath him tightly. "to protect her—"

"protect her? from who?"

"who do you think?"

oikawa gasps, followed by a pout. "oh, that hurts, lev. really, i've been nothing but nice to her."

lev snorts. he's not going to give oikawa any points for indirectly admitting that he's done him wrong. thinking about it, he's pretty certain that oikawa would have killed him earlier if y/n wasn't there. his favoritism is a little strange, and in a way gives lev more reason to feel protective. "tell me which room."

letting out a dramatic sigh, oikawa gestures down the hall with a limp point. "down the hallway to your right, past the first lounge. there's a deer head mounted on the wall across from it, you can't miss it." he takes lev's silence as satisfaction and goes to close the door again. lev nods reassuringly to y/n who does the same, watching as they're cut from his view. 

in the hall, oikawa immediately pinches the bridge of his nose. "jeez, you put up with that guy?"

y/n laughs softly, "he's not that bad."

as they continue on their way, y/n notes that he's more talkative compared to when they were heading to lev's room.

"y'know, i'm really sorry you had to see me like that earlier, it's kind of embarrassing."

she glances up at him as he rubs the back of his head and chuckles apologetically. "when?" her head cocks to the side, sending him a clueless expression.

oikawa blinks, his mouth curving downwards. "during the fight. when else?" he says like it's the most obvious thing in the world, but y/n could think of at least three other instances he might've been referring to.

"ah, right."

"i usually have iwaizumi do that for me, but he's out with the rest of the guys right now."

"the rest of the guys?" y/n's head snaps towards him again.

"they'll be back soon. you should be excited to meet them, they're good people."

y/n stifles a sigh in realization. that's right, he's a kingpin.

so much for not getting involved with gangs anymore, right?


	37. Chapter 37

while lev spent the next couple days conjuring up ideas to rid the intruders from his rightful home, y/n made the most of the situation.

oikawa was right, the rest of the gang were good people— excusing the obnoxiousness, arguments, and frequent snarky comments. though, that energy was often directed towards each other. they were kind to y/n for the most part, staying out of her way and minding their business.

in terms of oikawa, he seemed to take quite a liking to y/n.

quickly.

very quickly.

despite this, he’d never set himself up for rejection— ever. his pride would grow hands and strangle him itself. 

so, the prevention plan? make her fall harder.

as soon as the second day, he began to slide in pet-names, nicknames and even started referring to her affectionately to the others— especially when she was in earshot.

this continued gradually, in a 'testing the waters' kind of way. though, y/n seeing this as another dimension of his personality, she didn't acknowledge or comment on his behavior. in fact, to the outside eye, it might've appeared that y/n didn't care for oikawa at all.

but oikawa knew better.

perceptive man he is, he always noted the way her face heated up when his fingers graced her shoulder to get by, the way her eyes widened when he caught her staring, or how she'd somehow inch closer to him whenever he was near.

she couldn’t deny that his fondness was growing on her, but you didn't have to spend much time with oikawa to know that he was affectionate towards all of his friends.

to protect herself from indescribable embarrassment, she began to suffocate and silence any feelings toward him that dared rear its head. she held a strict, bloody-knuckled hold on their platonic relationship as a constant reminder that he was way, way out of her league.

that, and he was kind of weird.

when she became distant towards him in hopes of ridding her interest, oikawa wasn't sure where he went wrong.

he didn't mind a challenge, though.

* * *

behind the house, there’s remnants of a garden. it hasn’t been tended to in a while, the overgrown weeds, hedges, and withered corpses of plants making that obvious. still, fundamentally, it’s beautiful. y/n could see that the moment she stepped foot in it— from the hedge walls, the stone path showcasing a fountain, and the perfectly placed flowerbeds circling it.

even though they aren’t certain how long they’ll stay for, y/n’s still intent on reviving the garden. she doesn’t have much else to do, and it’s a nice, quiet place to get away from everyone else.

when oikawa finds her, she’s bent down in front of one of the beds pulling weeds, her fingers making holes for flowers in their place.

he quietly sits down on one of the benches, crossing his legs and putting an arm over the back. he tries not to comment on the mess she's making all over herself, and how she's probably going to try to come inside covered in dirt and soil. he shakes away a cringe.

"you lose something?"

y/n feels a jolt of shock shoot up her back, catching her fingertip on one of the thorns of the plants. "ah!" she hisses, popping it in her mouth and turning around.

oikawa gives her a soft smile whilst gluing his eyes to hers, battling the urge to stare. "whatever it was, i can buy you ten more in its place."

"why would you scare me like that?" she mumbles against her finger, furrowing her brow.

"oh, you know i didn't mean to. besides, i haven't seen you all day, i was worried!" he puts a hand to his chest dramatically, his smile growing again to let her know that he's teasing.

despite his playful tone, her gaze flickers to the ground, feeling a bit guilty that she’s using the garden as a way to get away from him.

after a few seconds without a response, he rises and treads in the direction of the house. just before he exits the garden, he stops. "if i remember right, there's flower seeds in the shed," he says, his back facing her. “just try not to hurt yourself again, ‘kay doll?"

she watches as he sticks his hand up to give her an 'O.K' sign, then walks off before she can answer.

he didn't sound bothered, but she couldn't help but wonder if she accidentally made him feel un-welcomed. though, her thoughts don’t linger on this for long, as the chime of him calling her 'doll' echoes through her mind.


	38. Chapter 38

oikawa's spirit isn't broken so easily.

of course, he'd never continue had she began to lose interest— there's no fun in that. it's the little things that make him come back for more, and picking up on these things slowly became his favorite past time.

but still, little things aren't enough. he needs more; he needs to see hearts in her eyes, he needs to see her swoon.

in his mind, he can buy his way into anything he wants. so, surely, he thinks, he can buy his way into love.

today, he plans on taking her into town. he saw the perfect opportunity when he noticed the soil stains on her dress. a stubborn refuser of handouts, she only agreed to go if he told her he was just buying a simple, cheap garment as a gift, but he intends on spoiling her.

they arrange to leave early morning while the rest of the house is asleep. y/n despised this idea, but oikawa insisted they go early to make it there and back under daylight. 

zombie-like, y/n follows oikawa out the front door. she takes in a deep breath of crisp morning air as the keys in oikawa's hand leave the door with a click. 

"ready?" he puts a hand on her upper back.

she sniffles. last time she checked, they were in the middle of nowhere. "ready to go where, exactly?"

"dayhaven, you goof! where else?" he responds a little too loud for the hour, making her wince. 

looking up at him through the slits of her eyelids, she slowly lowers her brow. "huh?" he couldn't possibly be talking about the dayhaven that's days away. "...the one across the lake?"

he nods, pushing the glasses he's wearing back up his nose. 

"h-how...?" is all she can muster, both from confusion and exhaustion.

ushering her forward with his hand, they begin walking. "by train, dear." he says like she's elderly and needs reminding of locomotive existence. "but first, we need our horses to get to the station. can you ride?" 

"a little," she mumbles, trying to come to terms with the fact that they could've cut their arrival in half by taking the train. bokuto said he'd been to beythstown before, why wouldn't he have known about the railroad? "is the train new?" 

"new? oh no, it's been here for years. i've used it many times." he looks down at her as they make their way through the dew-soaked grass. "why?"

after a moment of pondering, a thought crosses her mind. maybe bokuto avoided taking the train so he could spend more time with her? 

she hums dismissively. "it's nothing." 

he frowns a bit when he sees her smiling to herself, but disregards it as they approach the barn.

once inside, they prepare their horses together— oikawa his usual sorrel stud, and y/n a rather scruffy grey pony. 

oikawa says it's safer this way, but if y/n knows anything about ponies, it's that they're demons in disguise.

he laughs when he hears her arguing with the pony down the aisle in front of him. it's something about biting her when she bent over to pick up a brush. 

"mouthy!" she points a scolding finger at the pony's face, rubbing the area on her butt where a bruise would surely form. she lunges back in horror as the pony promptly tries to take her finger off as well. "oikawa!" she whines. 

"oh, don't come crying to me—" he lifts his saddle onto his horse with a chuckle. "i bite too." 

* * *

the ride to dayhaven would be a strange, new experience for y/n. though, there aren't many people at the station during this hour, so that eases the stress some. 

when the train is ready to leave, they step inside and find a seat close to the front. y/n sits by the window, oikawa to her outside. 

she flinches at the forward jolt of the train as it begins to move, gripping onto the fabric of her dress.

after a moment, she relaxes, her mind becoming occupied on the passing objects in the window.

oikawa unfolds the newspaper he stuffed into his back pocket on the way in, crossing his legs and leaning back into the velvety-cushion. 

while he reads, he occasionally finds his eye gravitating towards y/n. sometimes to make sure she isn’t feeling anxious again, and sometimes just to look. 

her elbow props up by the glass, head resting on her hand. the sun begins to show over the horizon, beaming a bright ray over her features. after squinting at it for some time, she decides it's easier to just close her eyes instead.

when he glances over again, her head is lolling in her hand lazily, the hunch of her back rising and falling slowly.

she'd fallen asleep.


	39. Chapter 39

she wakes to the sight of oikawa's blurry figure standing in the aisle-way, nudging her gently. sucking in air, she straightens up, ridding the creak in her neck and wincing at how much brighter it had become.

"wakey, wakey," he says softly, a grin on his face.

furrowing her brow, she grumbles, "i'm awake, i'm awake." she catches sight of the window as she stretches.

the station in dayhaven is huge compared to the one by the house, not to mention packed with bustling bodies. since it's later in the morning now, many people have places to be.

"how did you sleep?" he takes her hand and escorts her into the aisle. "come on, we have to get out of here before they let the new passengers on," he adds quietly.

"like a rock." there's pressure on her shoulders as he guides her to the exit. they reach the door and she slowly steps down the stairs, immediately being greeted by the sounds of the crowd. it's so packed she can barely see the tiles on the floor.

how very overwhelming.

oikawa leans down beside her ear, his breath fanning her neck slightly in a way that's somewhat comforting at the moment. "stay close."

she looks up at him and nods as he walks on. he creates a path for her, sifting through the sea of strangers as she trails close behind.

it all goes well until a man suddenly bumps into her. she stumbles backward, hitting a few people behind as well. when she recollects herself and goes to apologize, she realizes that the man hadn't even stopped— just plowed right through her.

luckily, she didn't stray too far from oikawa, as she could still see his back a few feet ahead of her. before the gap can become any larger, she hastily pushes her way closer to him, ducking and dodging through limbs.

when reuniting, she accidentally shoves into him a bit, making him halt. her hands grip onto the ends of his tan coat reflexively, like a baby elephant to another's tail.

he peers beneath his arm a little confused, then glances at her from over his shoulder. she can't hear very well over the voices, but she can tell he laughs. "you're cute." he raises his voice a little so she can hear.

she smiles back meekly, resisting the urge to punch him in the back of the head for not noticing she was gone.

they continue like this for what feels like ages, until the double doors to the city are in their sights.

y/n lets go of oikawa and fumbles past him, breaking through the doors with a slam. she walks out under the overhang, letting the fresh air embrace her body and fill her nostrils.

it's much less crowded outside, and much, _much_ less stuffy.

oikawa calls her name while emerging from the building behind her. he gives her a puzzled look, pulling his hands from his pockets to shrug.

after staring for a moment, a wave of tension releases from her body, her shoulders drooping slightly. "...i don't think i like train stations," she exhales.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> REALLY short chapter sorry 😫😫😫😫😫 i ended up rearranging some things (i didnt take anything out) with this chapter and the last one and this one ended up only being like 500 words LMAO my baddddd 🧍


	40. Chapter 40

y/n and oikawa catch a trolley shortly after exiting the station, which takes them directly to where the tailor shop resides. thankfully, the train ride eliminated most of y/n's anxieties about machinery.

oikawa holds the door open for her and a bell rings above their heads. the shop owner looks in their direction from the counter. "morning, oikawa."

with a two-finger wave and a nod, oikawa greets back. y/n sends a wave as well.

the shop is well decorated and has racks of clothing propped up across the floor. upon closer inspection, she finds that the racks’ lack of quantity doesn’t matter, as each dress is beautiful and intriguing in its own way—none of which in bad taste.

for the most part, oikawa stands back and lets y/n sift through the shop's contents, maybe commenting on a dress now and again.

while browsing, y/n repeatedly catches her gaze drifting toward his lingering figure. subtly, she’ll observe him in her peripheral, taking in smaller, more candid details. she finds it interesting that even when he’s unaware of any wandering eyes, he still carries himself like he has something to prove. is it trained, or is it natural? she wonders.

irises flickering away, another question pops into her mind: does he study her like this too?

immediately, her face contorts and she gives her head a shake. of course he doesn’t.

after some time back in reality, a thought sparks on her tongue. "hey, oikawa?"

he hums, eyebrows perking up as he turns his head away from the storefront window.

she pulls out a dress from the rack, placing it against her body to check the fitting before putting it back. "do you really know the gangs in tall oak?"

he pushes himself off the sill he's leaning on and approaches, his fingers prodding at a dress alongside her. "mm, yes and no."

she stops.

noticing her prying stare, he continues, "i know _of_ them, but i don't know any of them personally— except for nekoma."

"but lev said he didn't know you?"

"nope. this was my first time meeting lev. i knew he was from nekoma though, he’s wanted."

y/n nods slowly, mentally reminding herself that he _is_ a sheriff, so it only makes sense for him to know things like that.

"so... you and kuroo are... friends?"

"kuroo?" this time, oikawa stops. he doesn't hide the fact that his mood turns sour, showing it on his face. "what's kuroo to you?" he squints.

y/n almost drops the dress in her hands at the change in tone, just barely catching it before it hits the ground. "i-i— nothing! i don't... i don't know him—" she lies through her teeth in panic, not having foreseen her question as such a touchy subject. "i'm just asking because i heard you talk about him." she waves a hand dismissively and turns back to the rack, hoping he won't see the fib on her features.

she feels his eyes on her for a moment more before he makes a noise in his throat, going to examine the fabric of another dress. "i guess you could say we're friends," he exhales. "if your idea of friendship is trying to kill one another.”

her eyes widen and she stiffens, muttering a soft "oh..."

before she can respond further, he rips a dress from the rack rather roughly. "ah, look!" he holds it up in the air, then places it against her figure. "i’d love to see you in this."

it's an expensive dress, no doubt. southern belle style, it’s made of the softest fabric, and the designs patterning it are intricate and beautiful. y/n has to admit, it’s a good pick.

for someone else. 

"that's so revealing!" she shrieks, face growing hot at the dress's cut. it's low at the shoulders, and sleeveless on top of that. the waist and bust is much more form-fitting than any dress she’s ever owned.

"you don't like it?" oikawa frowns. he looks from the dress to her, then to the dress again. "hmm, won't you try it on at least?"

"b-but—"

she’s cut off as he shoves the dress into her hands, guiding her towards the fitting room by her shoulders. "ah, ah!" he lets go and holds the door open for her to go inside. "try it first. for me."

with a flustered, defeated grumble, she smacks his hand away from the door and closes it in his face.


	41. Chapter 41

oikawa stands outside, his back to the door as he waits.

while ignoring his pestering questions ('does it fit?' 'is it on yet?' 'can i see?'), she undresses, setting her old, dirty dress aside. 

the skirt of the new dress spills onto the floor a bit, asking to be admired. it is a really pretty dress, and the more y/n gawks at it, the more she hopes it'll fit. she holds the shoulder pieces up, tip-toeing into the torso and pulling it over her body— or, so she tried.

the corset is really, really hard to get on.

she tries everything. jumping into it, tugging, loosening it. nothing works. she flies over every corner of the dressing room, engaging in a battle with the piece of fabric. whenever she lands a punch, the garment hits back ten times harder. then, her foot slips on the underskirt, sending her flying face-first onto the floor. she's pretty sure her nose inverts and touches her brain. 

she looks up with a groan, a trickle of blood dripping from her nostril.

oikawa flinches at the ruckus being made inside the room, averting his gaze from the growing amount of curious looks. "is everything okay in there?" he knocks, pausing before continuing, "...you need some help?" 

"yes," she answers distractedly as she stands to her feet, only registering the first question. it takes an embarrassingly long amount of time for her to realize. "w-wait, i mean— no!" she wipes the blood from her face with her forearm, a disgruntled noise leaving her mouth. "stop being gross!"

oikawa recomposes himself, as her previous reply and the silence after had left him a little speechless. he straightens, a mischievous smile reappearing. "hey! who said anything about being gross?" his voice muffles through the door. 

"shut up! you're not funny!" y/n’s irritation must tickle him, as he's cackling outside the door moments later. 

this makes her smile a little, too. she can just envision how proud of himself he is. maybe he’s a little funny— that, or his laugh is just so contagious. 

the tension leaves her body a bit and she calms down. she glances down at the mess around her ankles, then steps out of it.

when she emerges from the dressing room, oikawa is a little upset to see that she's still wearing her old dress. 

"it doesn't fit," she mumbles, holding it out for him to take. surprisingly, she’s upset coming to terms with the fact, but she knows there are other dresses to choose from.

oikawa looks down at the dress in thought. a brief moment passes before he clicks his tongue. "ukai!" his eyes shoot towards the front counter and the man behind it comes their way.

y/n blinks. "what are you doing?"

the shop-owner approaches, hands on his hips as he waits expectantly for oikawa to speak. 

taking the dress, oikawa gives it to ukai and motions toward y/n. "fit this for her, would you?"

the man doesn't hesitate to pull the measuring tape from around his neck. he lines it up with various parts of y/n's body, who’s a little confused, but stands compliantly. oikawa watches, one arm resting on his waist and a knuckle against his mouth observantly. 

"oikawa, you don't have to do this. i can just find another—"

as ukai takes note of the feedback from the tape, oikawa adds another request. "go ahead and make this part a little less... open, too." he uses his hand to gesture to the top part of the dress, recalling y/n saying the revealing nature made her uncomfortable. 

ukai nods, smiling with his cigarette in his teeth. he holds out a hand to shake. "sure thing."

oikawa takes his hand in his own, shaking it a bit roughly, but not in an aggressive way. "i appreciate it."

once ukai is out of earshot, y/n turns to oikawa. "and how long is that going to take?" she hisses slightly. she didn't exactly enjoy being ignored a few moments ago.

"should be done by later today." he peers down at her with a grin, his hands in his pockets as he rocks back on forth on his heels.

his words almost don't click due to his airy tone. y/n does a double-take, her brow twitching. "hah?! later today? what are we supposed to do until then?!"

"guess we'll have to keep shopping!” he throws his hands up in the air in a faux 'whoops!' fashion, his smile growing.

despite y/n's protests, he manages to pull her out the door. though, she might as well have left claw-marks on the wood-paneling. 

to be fair, he didn't plan this from the start, but the woe of the ill-fitting dress did spark some ideas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pretend i understood how these dresses worked when i wrote this 🔫🗿 also i am soooooo sorry to any non oikawa stans reading all these oikawa chapters like “dang can we wrap it up already 😐” LMAO he is just a very important character when it comes to progressing the plot. think of him as the final boss honestly haha


	42. Chapter 42

the trip home was a bit difficult with all the gifts oikawa bought for y/n.

he was a mad man. anything she even so much as looked at with a tinge of interest, he had to buy.

by the time they arrive back at the house, it's around midnight. there's a struggle just getting inside, having to put down and pick up multiple bags repeatedly. the crickets chirp mockingly loud the entire time.

"i told you i didn't need all this stuff." y/n whispers with a little agitation present in her tone. she places the items down beside the living room archway quietly, trying to stay mindful of the fact everyone else is probably asleep.

oikawa on the other hand, isn't so considerate. "oh, please," he raises a dismissive hand in the air, "don't act like it's so hard playing princess for a day."

y/n winces at the loudness of his voice as she slips her shoes off by the door. though, she has to listen closely to catch what he's mumbling to himself while he disappears into the kitchen, flickering a lamp to life.

"i'd make it every day if i could, but you're so darn stubborn..." is followed by the sound of glasses clinking and cupboards opening. y/n watches his shadow walk past the archway occasionally. "would you like something to drink, y/n? are you hungry?" his voice grows loud again as he calls to her.

"uh, no. i'm okay. i think i'll just get to bed." she rubs her eye.

oikawa emerges from the kitchen with a glass of water in his hand, he takes a long drink from it while he approaches y/n. "tired?" his hand pats her back softly.

she nods, looking up at him with exhaustion.

a gentle but hearty laugh escapes from him, his mouth curving into a smile. y/n's heart skips a beat at the authenticity of the sound, catching her a little off guard. "yeah, me too."

the warm hue of the light from the kitchen illuminates the side of his face, tracing over the points of his features— from his brow-bone, his cheekbone, to his jawline. it leaves a small glint in his eyes, which look at her half-lidded.

he then slides his arm across her back and to her shoulder, pulling her in for a one-handed hug. y/n tries not to melt into the touch as much as she tries not to make it obvious that she isn't sure what to do right now.

after another sip from his glass, he sighs. "i hope you had fun today," he says low, his voice becoming huskier by the minute.

unsure how to respond, y/n stays silent. he's acting strangely sweet all of a sudden— more so than usual. is it because he's tired?

it bothers her that she can't find any words, as he sounds so genuine. she mentally curses herself when he decides to speak again in her place.

"you look very pretty in your dress. i hope you like that, at least," he chuckles. promptly, much to y/n's surprise, he presses a kiss to the top of her head. as if she wasn't tense enough, her body stiffens tenfold at the action.

he releases her, leaving her body cold where he created warmth. "i'm going to get some sleep."

her wide, groggy eyes watch his back as he makes his way up the stairs.

without turning around, he says one last thing before disappearing from view. "goodnight~" he calls down in a sleepy, sing-song tone.

"good...night." she returns, though so barely audible she fears that he doesn't hear.

with a droop of her shoulders and sigh, she looks back to the bags on the floor. suddenly, her wistful mood turns sour.

he really couldn't help take them upstairs?

she lugs as many bags in her arms as she can, leaving a few behind for a second trip. step after heaving step, she steadily makes her way to her room.

just as her foot touches the final stair, a figure shoots into her field of vision from behind the railing-wall. "oh, hey! just leave the bags— i'll get them in the morning!" oikawa yells in her face, not noticing how close she is soon enough.

her body jerks, heart nearly dropping out onto the floor. if she could describe a heart attack in any way, it would be this. she loses her footing when she flinches, the weight of the bags sending her slowly toppling over. she lets out a shriek as she drops the items and reaches for oikawa's shirt, fingertips only grazing it.

then, down she goes, yelling loudly as she bounces off of every step until she reaches the bottom.

she sits there for a moment in shock. looking at the surrounding mess, a bubbling rage grows inside her.

she grits her teeth. " _OIKAWA_!"

every bedroom light in the house turns on.


	43. Chapter 43

the next morning, y/n makes her way down to the kitchen, feeling refreshed after sleeping in later than usual.

the sun shines in from the window over the sink, which has been opened to let in the fresh air. the curtains blow gently with the warm breeze, and the cicadas’ song fills the room.

a chocolate muffin sits on a plate atop the counter, a note placed beside it with familiar writing.

‘ _for y/n_ ♡

KINDAICHI AND IWAIZUMI DO NOT TOUCH!!!!'

she could tell oikawa had been here earlier.

with a smile, she brings the muffin to her mouth. just as she's about to take a bite, she hears a noise come from behind her.

placing the muffin back down, she turns her head to see lev standing in the archway. he leans against the wall with his shoulder, crossing his arms.

"good morning—"

"what the heck was yesterday about?" he interrupts.

she freezes, studying him with her glossy, morning eyes. "i—... what?" she isn’t even fully awake yet, how is there something to fight about already?

"really?" he squints. "you left with oikawa and didn't tell me." his voice progressively grows louder, like every word angers him more.

confused, her arms fall to her sides and she turns her body in his direction. "...i didn't think that would bother you?"

his mouth falls agape and he gives her a dumbfounded look. "you didn't think— y/n," he lets out a breath, shutting his eyes for a moment. when he opens them, he seems more disappointed than angry. "i woke up to find out that my best friend was gone." he brings himself to the table in the middle of the room, sliding out a chair to sit in. "i was so worried— i looked everywhere for you. i thought something might've happened." he portrays his anxieties with his flailing hands as he relives the feeling.

y/n sits down in the chair across from him, opening her mouth repeatedly to speak. "i'm sorry." is all she can say. “i shouldn't have done that..." she imagines how scared she'd be if he did the same thing to her.

with a calming exhale, he cups one of his large, gangly hands over hers. "can you... just not do that again? please?" he asks softly. "you'll tell me next time?"

she nods.

he responds with a forgiving smile, running a thumb over her skin. when he releases her, he sits back in his seat, peering out the window. "you know, i had to find out where you were from the guys. i guess oikawa told them before you left."

after a reminiscent pause, he turns to y/n again. she jumps at the sight of the sunken, terrorized look in his eyes.

"i had to spend the entire day with them. alone."

her stunned expression falls into a more lighthearted one, the corners of her mouth pulling upwards slightly. "oh, come on. they're nice people." she shakes her head.

"they pretended to hunt me for sport."

a giggle escapes y/n's lips. "w-what—?”

they begin bantering on back and forth. lev attempts to convince y/n of the truth to his tales, all the while y/n remains in disbelief. they eventually become quite loud, as their cackling and shouting is soon heard throughout the house.

it drowns out the sound of the front door opening at the opposite end of the hall.

"what is all this noise i'm hearing?" oikawa enters the kitchen, pretending to be offended by the sound.

upon noticing his arrival, the duo tones down. y/n is the first to speak, as lev’s mood goes too rotten to form any reasonable phrases. "oh, it's nothing." she smiles, but oikawa doesn't reciprocate.

"i see..." he hums. it goes quiet as he and lev lock eyes. his fingertips tap his thighs impatiently. "well, y/n, since whatever you two are sharing is so meaningless, i'm sure you wouldn't mind if i spoke with you privately."

lev's glare softens when it finds y/n's profile, waiting for an answer. he feels let down when she complies with his offer.

"oh, uh— sure! can i just go clean up first?" she asks, referring to her knotted hair and unbrushed teeth.

frowning at her words, lev watches helplessly as she rises from her seat. that was the first time they'd gotten to talk one on one in a while. he’s saddened that it has to end so soon.

oikawa nods. "meet me by the garden when you're done."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y/n hate club lets go ⚔️⚔️ naw im just playing but 🙄


	44. Chapter 44

outside, oikawa waits for y/n.

when she approaches the garden, he has his back turned to her, his hands resting in his pants pockets. he seems to be admiring something.

now freshened up, hair pulled back neatly with a ribbon to match her dress, she taps him on the shoulder. 

when he spins around to face her, his smile grows at her appearance. 

"there you are!" he coos, using his hands to motion to her exaggeratedly. 

rocking back and forth on her shoes, she clasps her hands together in front of her. "here i am," she replies softly. she isn't sure why, but she's exceptionally chipper in oikawa's presence today.

as he moves, her eyes catch sight of whatever he was looking at over his shoulder. she steps closer, using her hands to push him aside gently. 

"you put the birdhouse together!" she examines the cute little wooden home, wind swinging it slightly on its stand. it was one of the things he insisted he bought for her.

oikawa scratches the back of his head. "well, iwaizumi built it, actually. handiwork isn't really my forte..." he chuckles, placing his hands back in his pockets. "do you like it?"

"like it? i love it!" she walks around the piece, fingers gracing over the woodwork. "it's nicer than my old house!" she looks to him and snorts a bit, causing him to laugh as well. 

"this place is really coming together, isn't it?" he sucks in a breath, surveying the garden. each flowerbed has little bulbs peeking out of the soil, and the hedges are greener than ever. 

he pauses a moment, a wave of anxiousness seeming to fall over him. thankfully, y/n doesn't notice, as she's too distracted. his eyes study the back of her frame before they close.

"... i could get us a property with ten gardens like this— twenty if you wanted." he exhales while he finds a faux collection, appearing just as composed as usual.

y/n stops to glance at him. she lets out a small giggle. "yeah, i know you could." her eyes roll playfully. "actually, would thirty be okay?"

he blinks at her reaction. a mixture of emotions flashes through his features— something between sadness, anxiety, and a hint of longing. y/n's mouth purses at this. just as she's about to ask if he's okay, he speaks. "y/n... i'm serious."

at first, her brain refuses to let her understand. "...what?" she blanks. does he mean a house? for them? together? for so long, she'd been convincing herself that his advances were merely friendly teasing— had she been wrong the whole time?

the soles of his shoes tap against the stone path as he makes his way towards her. he takes both her hands in his, making sure her attention is undivided. for the first time, she hears him stutter while he finds the words he wants to say. 

y/n's face grows unbearably hot. the sensation spreads from her neck to her cheeks, then to her ears as she pieces his offering together. though, it isn't just from flattery— it's also from the twisting feeling of uncertainty in her gut. 

"y/n, i want you to come with me."

"... come with you?" her eyes trace his face. "where? i don't—"

"far away from here!" he squeezes her hands. "we could have a normal life— j-just you and me!"

every second he speaks becomes more intense. confused, she shakes her head at the suddenness of his proposal, a tightness forming in her throat. "oikawa...?"

"we'll take a boat! i'll buy our own house, with a barn, and a garden, and— and whatever else you want! we could be happy together!" his words grow borderline frantic, as if saying it all at once would lessen the chances of her saying no. he tugs on her as she tries to back out of his grasp, almost too rough. 

"o-oikawa!" 

he freezes, peering down at her with eyes wide enough to match her own. his grip softens some, and she internally sighs at the relief.

his gaze flits down to his hold on her. shocked, he pulls away, revealing a slight red tint on her skin. 

she continues staring quietly, slowly lowering her hands to her sides.

"i'm sorry..." he mumbles softly. "i'm so sorry." his gaze meets the ground, blinking in disbelief. "i... don't know what came over me." he tries to convince himself of his lie. his tendency to get worked up is not new, and he repeatedly drilled himself to stay calm before he spoke with her— a lot of good that did him. he bites his cheek.

"it's... okay...?" confused and as frightened as she is, she can still tell that he feels genuinely regretful. 

eyes meeting hers again, he speaks, voice barely a whisper. "i just want you to be with me."


	45. Chapter 45

"promise you'll think about it?" oikawa said promptly to y/n after she told him she wasn't sure.

she agreed, of course, but deep down, she already knew what the answer was.

immediately after the two parted, y/n made her way to her room as quickly, but non-suspiciously as possible. she didn't emerge from there again for the rest of the day.

with a locked door and face stuffed in her pillow, she marinated in her distress. the whole situation made her sick. it was all too soon, such a big decision out of nowhere.

occasionally, lev would stop and knock on her door. he noticed her strange behavior as soon as she reentered the house. he'd ask, "are you alright?", and y/n would only respond with a groan, or "i'm fine." from inside. though, of course, lev knew that wasn't the case. he trusted that she'd come to him if needed, so he left her be.

lev avoided oikawa for the rest of the day, who seemed to be going about himself quite nonchalantly, which infuriated him. he knew whatever was wrong with y/n was at oikawa's hand. he tried not to be confrontational, as he wanted to hear what happened from y/n first. so, he only shot him dirty glances and sour faces for the time being, no matter how much he wanted to solicit an argument.

then, in the late hours of the night, _he_ was the one hearing a knock on _his_ door.

it only takes him a moment to realize who it is, and the sleep in his eyes dissipates almost instantly.

unwrapping himself from his duvet, he quickly grabs a pair of pants from the floor and hobbles toward the sound. he opens the door softly, holding it open just a crack as he pulls his pants up over the hem of his underwear.

outside, y/n stands timidly in her dress still. seeing as she usually wore a nightgown, lev figures that's a sign that she hasn’t slept at all.

"y/n?" he asks, questioning what her next move will be.

"lev... um—"

"here—" he cuts her off, opening the door wider to let her inside.

she shuffles by, thanking him with a nod. the door clicks shut almost inaudibly behind her, and she turns to face him again.

he walks past her, motioning for the bed. "go ahead, sit, sit." his figure moves in front of the heavily windowed wall to his right. he stands at the bedside with his body draped in pale moonlight, generating shadows across his face and torso. if it wasn't lev, it'd almost look intimidating. instead, it creates a calming effect. y/n isn't sure why, but there's a peacefulness to his presence. it definitely soothes her nerves a bit.

fiddling with her fingers, she sinks into the mattress. she waits a moment before saying anything. "i'm sorry for waking you up."

lev shakes his head. "don't worry about it." he crosses his arms, waiting patiently for her to talk about what's on her mind. he's sure she wouldn't do all of this just to disrupt his sleep.

"lev..." she begins, inhaling, "oikawa—"

his fist tightens at the sound of his name. of course he was right about this being oikawa's doing.

"—wants me to... leave with him. i think he wants an answer by morning."

the room goes deafeningly quiet. he knew it'd probably be something bad, but oikawa stealing y/n away never crossed his mind.

his breath hitches, eyes tracing the floor. "...and?" he asks, trying to mask the way he's dreading her answer.

"and... he said it would be great. a big beautiful house, just me and him. a fresh start..."

his heart sinks a little, but he waits for her to finish, nonetheless— or at least, he prays that isn’t the end of what she has to say.

she looks away with a disgruntled expression, as if making sure her decision is going to be the right one.

every second she doesn't speak feels like a second closer to lev's death.

"but..."

with that one, singular word, that mere conjunction, his eyes flicker up to meet the side of her face brightly. he lets out a breath, rather loudly at that.

"he never asked me what _i_ wanted... and to be honest, i don’t know if that’s ever crossed his mind— even now." she sighs shakily, finally able to come to terms with reality as she says it aloud. "i... don't know if i could live with someone like that."

speechless, lev blinks. she glances over to meet his wide eyes, offering a gentle smile at the sight. "and i don't think i could just leave you behind either." she chuckles, at which he joins awkwardly. his fears eventually twist and mold into relief, allowing the loss of tension to follow suit.


	46. Chapter 46

after sneaking around to gather their belongings, lev and y/n prepare to make their escape. 

with heavy hearts—for each their own reasons— they both agreed that there would be no other way.

"i don't know what he'll do if i tell him no," y/n had told lev. "if i do, he might think it's because of you... and i don't want him to hurt you." even though she wanted to believe that oikawa would never do anything so drastic, she didn't know him well enough to say for sure, and he scared them enough times to not want to find out.

there was a moment of contemplation, then lev knew what they had to do. "what if we just... leave?" 

shocked he would even suggest leaving behind his home, y/n immediately shot down the idea. though, lev had his defense ready. "y/n, there's no way i'll ever be able to have this house to myself. i've thought it over," he argued. "i can't stay with these guys forever— and i definitely don't want to get origami’d because oikawa can't handle being rejected." 

so, having come to this conclusion, they tread lightly on squeaky floorboards with sacks over their shoulders. 

"are you ready?" lev whispers as he stands at the top of the stairs, waiting to go down.

hesitantly, y/n takes a few steps towards him, only to stop abruptly. it's like her feet suddenly become glued to the floor. 

"what are you doing?" he hisses and shakes his head, confused. he's becoming increasingly more anxious the more time they spend messing around. 

"i... i have to do something first," she replies quickly, turning in the opposite direction before lev can argue.

he throws his free hand in the air exasperatedly, watching as she runs away on her toes. it's best to let her go, he thinks. if he tried to run after her they'd make far too much noise.

y/n's breath trembles as she scurries through the second story of the house. her eyes trace the walls as she remembers her way.

when she reaches a pair of double-doors at the end of the hall, she freezes so fast she almost topples forward. slowly and partially unsure, she raises a hand onto one of the golden knobs. this is a risky move, but it's something she feels is only fair to do. 

the door moves out of the way quietly, and she leaves it open behind her as she walks inside.

a large bed with a draping canopy sits in front of her. the balcony door to the left had been propped open, allowing the crisp, night air to dance with the sheer curtains.

in the bed, the moonlight illuminates oikawa's features perfectly. he's laying on his side, visibly serene as he breathes low and steady, his mouth slightly parted.

step after cautious step, she approaches him. for a second, her heart sinks at the sight of his unconscious body— for once, he looks at peace with himself. falling to her knees, she rests her chin on the bedside next to him. her eyes scan over his face somberly, and ever so gently, she raises one of her fingers to brush a stray hair back into his bangs. his brow furrows for just a moment at this, but she doesn't flinch.

the sad, lonely, and starving y/n months ago wouldn't have hesitated to take up his offer; the y/n with nothing. but, since then, she'd made too many memories to just up and leave it all behind— too many friends, too many experiences. if only they'd met sooner, she thought. was he different then, too?

with a sigh, she mumbles into the fabric of his sheets barely loud enough for even herself to hear, "goodbye."


	47. Chapter 47

y/n and lev ride through the harbor towards the train station. the stars begin to fade as the sun peeks its head over the horizon, though the world still remains asleep.

the horses they took from the barn slosh and slide over the muddy trail. it tatters their legs and even bits of lev and y/n's clothing as it's kicked up from their gallop.

it's quiet. somber. there's only the sound of hoofbeats and equipment jostling for miles.

when they slow to a walk in a bend of trees, y/n's head perks up at the sound of lev's voice. "where are we going?" he looks at her with a weary gaze, huskiness in his tone. the purpling shade under his eyes matches y/n's as she blinks at him sluggishly.

that's right, she thinks. they never actually discussed that; they were just _going_. instinctively, she was leading them to dayhaven, but was that really where she wanted to be?

she looks down between her pony's ears again, watching the trail disappear as they pass over it. she makes a thoughtful noise— a low, worn-out one. when she first tries to speak, it comes out as no more than an inaudible grumble. trying again, she clears her throat. "i think... i just want to go home."

* * *

the trek back to y/n's house was quite the walk, as they had to leave the horses behind at the station. though thankfully, a kind man transporting grain pitied them enough to allow a free ride in his cart. this cut the travel time in half— emphasis on half, as they had to go on foot for the rest of the trip after he couldn’t take them any further.

when they finally arrive at their destination, the moon is set neatly in the center of the sky. y/n basically breaks the door down, eager to ease her aching back and feet.

"ah, home! i'm so sorry i took you for granted baby, i’ll never do it again.” she navigates around in the dark as she remembers the way to one of her lanterns. when she ignites it, the humble abode flickers to life with warm, orange light.

she glances around at the now visible interior. a smile creeps onto her face as she realizes everything is right where she left it, albeit with a little dust sprinkled on top.

after her short-lived reminiscence, she sprawls out onto her mattress, sending a grey snowfall into the air. she hacks a bit as it floats down into her mouth.

finding himself standing in the doorway still, lev steps inside, shutting out the chirps of crickets behind him.

"so this is it, huh?" he glances around with droopy eyelids, his hands in his pockets. "your den?” he'd seen the rickety charm of the outside before, but he could've never imagined what the inside looked like.

well, maybe he could if he was lacking in creativity. it's like a shack— four walls, and as far as furniture goes, it only has the essentials. there's nothing really special about it, except maybe a few flowers y/n had collected here and there, all of which are black and rotten by now.

y/n lets out a tired giggle. "when you say it like that, you make it sound like i'm some kind of monster."

"i've seen what you can do to a buffet. i'm still not entirely convinced you aren't— _oof_!" he's cut off by a swift pillow to the face.

"oh, be quiet!" she laughs louder, then rests her hands on her stomach and lets her eyes fall shut. after a moment, her nose crinkles. “...uh, can you throw that back actually? it's the only one i got."

lev peels the object from his face, spitting feathers and dust from his tongue. "what? you're just going to leave me with a hardwood floor to sleep on?"

one of y/n's eyes peek open. "what do you mean?"

"there's only one bed."

he almost flinches when her arms shoot up lightning-fast, her hands opening and closing in a beckoning motion. "guess we'll just have to cuddle!"

his shoulders drop. "y/n, that bed is not big enough for—"

"i'll make you sleep outside!"

though pretty certain she's joking, he still doesn’t feel like testing her. besides, sleeping in a bed sounds real nice right about now, no matter how raggedy y/n's animal hide sheets are.

with a defeated sigh, the corners of his mouth pull up slightly. "you're ridiculous." he staggers over on exhausted legs. his figure stands over her for a suspenseful moment, and y/n catches the scheming look on his face just seconds before he plops down on top of her.

"AGH!" she pushes on his crushing bodyweight to no avail. " _LEV_!"

he only lets out a half-awake chuckle while she feels like she's deflating underneath him. he begins to doze off, eyes fluttering closed. he doesn't care that his legs are dangling off the edge, or that he’s currently smothering somebody with his entire being— he’s comfortable enough.


	48. Chapter 48

a few weeks of normal living was all y/n needed to start feeling herself again.

her life had gotten so hectic lately, she didn't realize how badly she needed a break from all of it up until now. it was like a breath of fresh air, a smooth section on a bumpy road.

of course, lev being her new roommate helped as well. because of him, she didn't experience those cold, lonely nights anymore— or the sad, depressing mornings that followed.

on this particular sunny morning, where the summer heat is just teetering on the edge of becoming nauseating, lev and y/n are foraging for mushrooms.

y/n walks in lev's footsteps as his strides push down the tall grass. just across from the field there's a patch of woods, which is where they have to be for their collecting.

unfortunately, the field behind her home is quite large.

and itchy.

"you could not have picked a worse day to do this," lev grumbles, using their empty foraging bag to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

with every step, y/n lifts the ends of her dress to itch her legs, leaving bright red scratches behind. "we're out of food! what else did you have in mind for breakfast?" 

"i find it hard to believe that you can cook mushrooms." his upper body twists around enough for him to raise a brow at her. 

her hand reaches out and grabs a stick lying in the stalks, using the end of it to swat at things with a bored sigh. "you underestimate my years of experience as a starving person. i could fry up a cockroach like a gourmet meal." 

lev scoffs and sends her a disbelieving smile. "yeah, right."

disregarding his undermining, y/n studies the stick in her hand, turning and flipping it in her grasp. after a moment, her uninterested, droopy eyes light up ever so slightly as a thought enters her mind. 

with a slowing pace, she mumbles to herself, "... i bet i could fry up this stick if i wanted to."

* * *

the saloon in tall oak makes pretty good business with its usual selection of customers, but today is particularly busy.

by noon, it's packed. every seat is filled, and the only viable option is to stand if you want a drink.

except, some people are too important to keep standing around.

a figure enters through the saloon doors, seemingly blending in with the rest of the crowd as they make their way for the bar.

their boots clack rhythmically with each of their wide, steady steps. a few heads turn as they walk by, quieting down while they pass. you don't have to know who they are to want to move out of their way— the manner that they carry themselves is enough. 

the figure looms above another who's hunched over on a barstool, not having noticed their presence yet. he attempts to continue chatting with his friend, but the conversation dies down quickly as the other catches sight of their stalker.

realizing the lack of reciprocation, the man's face drops and he furrows his brow. "hey, are you listening?"

the friend taps the man's arm and motions for him to turn around. when he does, he's met with a face shadowed by the brim of their hat. "huh? what do you want?"

"move," he replies.

the man’s flushed features scrunch up, and he shoots his friend an amused, quizzical look. "are you kidding me? who do you think you are?"

his friend sends him a warning through expression, but the man ignores it. instead, he stands to meet the stranger eye to eye in a showdown of intimidation.

"tooru." he doesn't stagger at the display of the burly man looking up at him, standing inches away from his face.

"tooru?" the drunkard spits, his voice rising slightly. a few eyes land on them at the sound of the name. noticing the stares, the man grumbles to himself barely audibly, “i ain't never heard of no 'tooru'." he then straightens again, broadening his shoulders. "tooru who?"

the figure's head tilts upwards, peering down his nose at him. upon revealing his face, he gives an almost inhumanly wide, smug grin at the sight of the man beginning to cower.

"oikawa."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hes so annoying 😭😭😭 dramatic entrance king. we really bout to get into it now tho im kind of excited 😳 sorry there were so many mistakes in this chapter OOP i had to fix them 😫😫


	49. Chapter 49

oikawa takes his hat off and places it on the bar-top. he doesn't have to call the bartender over, as one’s already standing anxiously in front of him.

he’s handed a drink, to which he accepts with a nod.

while he tips his head back to sip on the liquid, the saloon slowly but surely goes back to its rowdy self.

"that was quite the show you put on just now."

one of his eyebrows shoots up at the voice directed towards him. the drink departs from his lips, his head turning to the familiar sound a few stools down.

there’s a man leaning on his elbows to get a better look at him; a man none other than kuroo tetsurou. "been a while, sheriff." he raises two fingers in a wave.

oikawa nearly chokes on the bit of alcohol he'd left lingering in his mouth. his eyes go wide and he sets his glass down with a clink. "well, i'll be."

kuroo stands from his seat and offers to switch with the man sitting beside oikawa. his large figure plops down on the stool, their shoulders brushing. he turns so his arm can rest on the back of his seat. "you're the last person i expected to see after coming back into town."

his suave demeanor returning, oikawa takes a long sip from his drink before replying. "coming back into town?" he repeats his words.

"yeah. i got a job in the heathsborough mines. finally worked up enough to pay off that debt i owed you."

at first, oikawa shoots him a quick, confused look. to be honest, he'd forgotten all about that during the past few weeks— it was the last thing on his mind. he shakes his head as he recalls, clicking his tongue. "you’re putting an end to our feud?"

kuroo laughs heartily in response. "ah, don't sound so depressed. i'm sure there are plenty more reasons for me to kill you."

stifling laughter himself, oikawa lets out a low hum. "i see." a moment passes, and he makes a contemplative noise as a thought pops into his mind. "you decided to earn it the hard way? i mean, a job? really?"

he hoped oikawa wouldn't mention his embarrassing change of heart, but he supposes it was inevitable. with a sigh, he peers down into his drink, eyes softening as he watches the contents slosh around while he swirls it. "yeah, i know,” he mumbles. "i just... met somebody."

much to his surprise, he doesn't hear any snarky remarks from oikawa. instead, he stretches in his seat and inhales deeply, knowing all too well what kuroo means by his vague explanation. "hm... the same happened to me, actually. it's why i'm here."

"seriously?"

trying not to take offense at the disbelieving tone, oikawa crosses his arms and shuts his eyes. "uh, yes." he frowns. then, his eyelids shoot open, meeting kuroo's gaze wildly. "oh! you won't believe the story i have for you."

taken aback slightly, kuroo furrows his brow. "what?"

"the girl i met— she was with one of your guys. they were traveling together, i guess." oikawa reaches for a bowl across from them, popping a peanut into his mouth.

"one of my guys? what the— who?"

oikawa's chewing slows, and his dark irises glance upwards in thought. "uh... let's see..." as his lean fingers grab at another peanut, the name suddenly comes to him. "ah! lev!" he taps kuroo on the arm lightly, followed by a snap. "that's it. his name was lev— complete weirdo.”

kuroo tunes oikawa out as he rambles on and on about the story of how they came together, all the while expressing his distaste for lev. he looks down at the bar-top in a straight stare, eyes slightly trembling. as much as he wanted his thoughts to go elsewhere, he could only think of one person, let alone a girl, who would follow lev around. his stomach drops, and he turns to face oikawa again.

"— and he kept talking about how 'you can’t steal a house'," oikawa mimics lev's voice in a dumbed-down tone. "which was stupid, because if that were true, then why is the house mine now?” he takes another swig from his glass. "you know what i mean?" he nods to kuroo, entirely oblivious to how his demeanor has changed.

"what... was her name?" kuroo changes the topic rather rudely, his fists squeezing closed. "the girl?"

oikawa raises his brows. "her name? oh, y/n. why?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 🗣🗣 LETS GOOOOOO ‼️‼️ 🏃🏃🏃


	50. The Beginning of The End

"y-y/n—?" whispering barely audibly, kuroo stutters in shock.

at the mere mention of the name, all hell breaks loose.

the saloon's crowd becomes rapidly hushed. before kuroo can land a punch to oikawa's face, a figure at one of the tables rears their head over the others. "y/n?" his pronunciation is almost gibberish. though, he'd otherwise be insignificant, as his features are entirely too plain.

"daichi?" kuroo grits his teeth at the sight of his rival. he also realizes the rest of karasuno are surrounding the table as well— how did he not notice they were there?

"daichi? ...of karasuno?" oikawa blinks, recalling hearing the name before.

not even a second later, the saloon doors burst open, revealing a buff, sturdy silhouette with tints of silver in his hair. "Y/N?!" bokuto shouts so loud everyone swears it reverberates against their chest like a firework. akaashi follows in shortly after.

"bokuto?!" kuroo jumps to his feet, slamming a fist down on the bar.

"bokuto?" daichi sends kuroo a questioning look at the unfamiliar face.

"... didn't he try to kill me once?" oikawa adds in a low murmur.

"WOULD YOU GET OUT OF HERE?!" a staff worker's voice booms at the sight of the man.

it falls quiet again as an intimidatingly large man rises from his seat— ushijima. the legs of the chair screech against the floorboards as he pushes it back dreadfully slow. taking in a long, suspenseful breath, he speaks, 

"y/n."

everybody in the saloon blinks a few times, exchanging side-eyed glances.

...

nobody has any idea who this guy is.

—but are there a pair of eyes glowing in the corner behind him?

regardless, everyone turns to each other again. a few people's clothing can be heard shuffling, along with a single, nameless cough.

then, as if in a telepathic, collective agreement, the establishment explodes into an array of battle cries. they all charge, wielding uppercuts and body slams.

oikawa remains seated at the bar, watching with wide, startled eyes as the biggest bar fight in history goes down right in front of him.

beside him, kuroo grabs kenma's arm, who'd been sitting on the opposite end of the bar playing chess. with a disinterested expression, he lands multiple punches into the stomach of akaashi while kuroo keeps him steady.

across from them, tanaka and nishinoya pummel bokuto until he ultimately breaks free from tanaka's hold. flipping nishinoya over, he raises him in the air above his head, ignoring his pleas. tanaka hurdles tables as bokuto chases him with his small friend, ready to launch him like a spear.

at the other end of the saloon, ushijima and daichi engage in a boxing match, all the while a red-haired, gangly silhouette crawls over the walls in the shadows, preparing to pounce. daichi lets out shrieks of the damned as the cryptic being lands on his face and claws at his eyes.

oikawa lets out a huff, running a hand through his hair. then, something hits him— not literally.

there’s only one logical explanation for all of this.

he stands tall, waltzing his way to the center of the floor while dodging blows. clearing his throat, he crosses his arms. "fellas." when they don't hear him at first, he shuts his eyes irritatedly, a vein protruding from his forehead. this time, he speaks louder, " _FELLAS_."

slowly, the fighting ceases. they all freeze in their positions, turning their attention towards him.

oikawa lets out a sigh. "i think it's obvious what's really going on here." he glances around, disappointed that they could ever fall for something like this. "clearly, y/n is a heart-stealing witch."

"a witch?" bloodied, bokuto distractedly lowers nishinoya down beside him.

"yes!" oikawa exclaims. "how else could she captivate all of us so easily?" he throws his hands out, gesturing to the crowd. "look at what she's done to us!"

there's a pondering moment of silence before a disembodied voice calls from the mix of battered men. "hey... _he's right_!"

a smirk settles on oikawa's features. "of course i am— and you know what i think?" one of his brows raise, and a determined fist rips through the air. "i think it's time for a witch hunt!"

there's a few agreeing murmurs and nods at his spew of inspiration, which soon erupt into a dogged display of brotherhood. this time, the yelling and roughhousing that fills the saloon is out of pure camaraderie.

"we'll show her!"

"let's go get our hearts back!"

"yeah!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bear with them yall it was oikawas turn with the braincell and he doesnt even know how to use it 🙄


	51. Chapter 51

lev and y/n exit the quaint restaurant, waiting a moment for a few carriages to go by before crossing the road.

with a frown, lev peers down into his wallet, fiddling with the small bit of money he has left. "we're really getting low now..." he mumbles.

y/n crosses her arms and lets out a huff. "you were the one who insisted we eat out!"

stuffing his wallet in his back pocket, he looks at her blankly. "because charred mushrooms with a side of stick wasn't appetizing to me?"

y/n stops dead in her tracks and stomps her foot angrily. "they were not charred!" her fists ball up at her sides.

"right, right." lev nods, still walking ahead. "they had 'flavor'." he scoffs. "just for future reference though, 'burnt' isn't one of my favorite tastes."

speeding up to be at his side again, y/n raises a dismissive hand in the air. "whatever. i think you're too picky to be poor."

"amen."

just as they're about to pass the saloon, lev finds himself unable to pry his eyes off of it. "...i could really go for a drink." much to y/n's dismay, his walk eventually slows to a halt in front of the stairs.

"with what money?" she tugs on his shirt sleeve in an attempt to keep him walking. she really hates the saloon— it always smells like dirty people and she doesn't like to drink anyway, so what's the point?

"i still have some."

"so we're going to go completely broke over some dumb alcohol?"

"there's not much else you can buy for so cheap. come on, i'll get you some peanuts." effortlessly, he drags her closer to the building.

"the peanuts are free..." she mumbles.

just as they reach the top of the stairs, the doors bust open, almost sending lev flying backwards.

he and y/n's bodies go completely rigid. nothing could've prepared them for the gathering of people residing indoors.

"eh?" lev's eye twitches. he feels the grip on his arm tighten as y/n attempts to shrink herself. "no way..." she pulls his sleeve up to hide her identity.

the saloon is filled to the brim with familiar faces. they all stare, dumbfounded. oikawa separates y/n and the rest of the crowd as he stands in the entrance, holding the doors open. his adam's apple bobs when he swallows deeply, losing his composure at the sight of her. a pathetic " _guh_...?" is all he can muster in his surprise.

of course, the plan _was_ to find her, but he didn't expect their meeting to be so... soon. he hardly had any time to think over the theatrics of their reacquaintance.

nevertheless, he's able to shake away his faltering. like the flip of a switch, he clears his throat and stands tall, peering down at y/n with a smug grin. his arm whips out in front of her, pointing his index just inches from her face. "you really thought you could trick us, witch?!"

at first, his words don't process in y/n's mind. she's too busy exchanging gazes with the onlookers behind him.

her eyes drift from ushijima to daichi, then to kuroo, and bokuto.

a twist of sadness and guilt bubbles in her chest when she realizes they're all staring down at her in contempt. the fondness that she once knew is no longer there.

focusing on oikawa again, she warps back to the present, her brow furrowing. “w-wait, did you say witch?!" she staggers.

lev rips his arm away from her grasp, shielding himself with his limbs cautiously. "you're a witch?!" he shrieks.

"what?! lev—!” she hisses at his ignorance while resisting the urge to smack him. "no!"

"don't buy into her lies! she's stolen our hearts with her witchcraft, and we're going to stop at nothing to get them back!" oikawa grips the handle of his revolver. he pulls it from its holster, nimbly spinning it in his fingers before shoving it in her face instead of a point. "so, what'll it be, witch? will you hand them over willingly?" he lowers his head to her height, leaning closer. "or will we have to take them back by force?" with a twitchy smile, his thumb clicks down the hammer of the gun.

something tells her he's hoping for the latter.


	52. Chapter 52

"what? give you your hearts back?" y/n looks up into oikawa's eyes with confusion.

oikawa, who seems to be losing his patience, takes a step closer to her. "don't play dumb! we know you have them!" 

becoming increasingly more worried with the escalation of the situation, daichi pushes his way towards oikawa, placing a hand on his shoulder. "hey, i want them back as much as the next guy, but maybe we should relax a little—"

with a violent shrug, oikawa rips himself away from daichi's grasp. "shut up! don't talk to me in your backwater hillbilly nonsense!" he shouts, offended that he thought he would've been able to understand him.

daichi stumbles at his hostility, looking a bit shocked. 

some leader they've chosen, y/n thinks.

becoming irritated with her silence, oikawa fires a warning shot at y/n's feet, putting a hole through the porch and sending wooden shards flying.

she screams, hiking her feet up. "lev!" 

"y/n, i think he's serious!" lev's voice trembles, his ears ringing from the range of the shot.

glancing around sporadically, she tries to conjure up a way out. they're going to die if they remain idle.

then, her eyes widen when they land on a pair of horses hitched across the street.

without announcement, she grabs ahold of lev's hand and tugs him along. he follows blindly, not too keen on stopping to ask questions at the moment.

surprised, oikawa stutters, "wha— stop them!" he yells as the men behind him disperse. "they're going for the horses!"

using the passing carriages as cover from gunfire, lev and y/n safely make their way to the hitching post. their shaky hands unwrap the reins, tossing them over the horses' necks. 

unlike lev, who's height gives him an advantage, mounting on the go doesn't work well for y/n. 

as the horse begins to pick up speed, she runs beside it and tries to catch her foot in the stirrup. it misses every time. eventually, the horse reaches a full gallop, leaving her with no choice but to throw her torso over its back. 

spastically trying to keep hold of the animal, her fingers intertwine in its mane so tightly she could rip it out. she repeatedly lifts her leg in hopes to get it over to the other side, but to no avail. 

letting out a fearful whimper, she cries "l-lev!" her panic deepens when the tips of her shoes skim through the dirt. 

riding at her side, lev leans over and attempts to assist her, grabbing her shin and lifting it to his best abilities while keeping an eye on the path. 

it starts to work— that is, until their pursuers ambush them from the trees on their own horses.

lev has no choice but to let go and pull his reins up when kuroo rides parallel to him, a gun pointed to his face. 

"what are you doing?!" he screams at him, who matches his pace regardless of how fast or slow he goes. he eyes his finger just barely gracing the trigger, praying that the lick of hesitation in his movement isn't just his imagination.

with furrowed brows, kuroo watches him otherwise emotionlessly. he occasionally looks ahead to keep his horse steady, but the point of his gun never wavers. 

becoming increasingly rattled the longer he looks down the barrel of his former leader's gun, he swallows hard, licking his lips anxiously. "we're friends, kuroo!" 

the crack of lev's voice stings kuroo's ears, and his previously blank features twist into what lev thinks to be a wince. they exchange stares for a moment before he grits his teeth, lowering his gun. "agh!" he growls out in frustration. "just... stay out of this, lev!" 

shortly after, he kicks his horse on, approaching the front of the pursuit. 

lev's stomach drops when he realizes where kuroo is headed. "y/n." his pupils contract, cursing the amount of time he had managed to stray away from her. with a smack of the ends of his reins, he tails after the big, black horse.

the idea of her getting hurt because he isn’t there makes him nauseous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all of this is probably making it seem like i hate these guys 💀💀 i love them tho i promise its all for the plot HA


	53. Chapter 53

on the contrary, y/n is handling herself just fine.

at first it was scary— oikawa had caught up to her, and was making repeated attempts at fully pulling her off. though, if anyone knows anything about y/n, it’s that she’s too stubborn to let him win so effortlessly.

"just let go, y/n. it's not worth it, you can't hold on forever!" oikawa taunts, giving the end of her dress another hefty yank.

unlike all the other attempts he made previously, this time he's met with a shoe to the face.

rubbing a hand over the reddening, aching spot, he slowly meets her eyes again. she glares back over her shoulder, a smirk forming on her face when she sees his stunned expression. 

with a snicker, she continues jabbing at him with her feet. he holds his hand out as cover. "what the— hey! stop!" he yells, agitation on his tongue.

"you stop!" 

he begins smacking her legs in retaliation, only landing occasional hits to her unrhythmic blows. "give us our hearts back!" 

"no!" 

"so you admit to stealing them!"

"no!"

to her left, daichi watches in confusion as the two battle pathetically. he side-eyes the rest of karasuno, who he notices is looking to him for answers. he shrugs.

unsure of what to do, the group pulls up some, steering out of the way of y/n's horse. the extra movement on its back was causing it to sway on the path wildly, and the last thing they wanted to do was collide. 

seeing the opening, lev gallops his way closer and steadies y/n's horse by grabbing its reins. kuroo scowls in dismay as he gets stuck behind oikawa and bokuto, having made the mistake of going to y/n's right instead.

"y/n! y/n!" he calls to get her attention. she swings her head around to see him, smiling in relief. 

"lev! i thought something happened to you!" she pries her hand off the saddle horn, knuckles white from her grip. "i was so worried—!" she reaches out to grab onto him, but a stumbling jolt from her horse almost sends her falling onto her face. she looks back to see oikawa smiling devilishly, preparing to plow into them again. 

an idea pops into her mind, and she waits in anticipation for the next impact.

as expected, he sends his horse sideways towards her own, planning to knock her over. her eyes widen as they approach a little faster than she thought they would, but not fast enough to catch her entirely off guard. 

she throws her feet out stiffly, aiming directly for his face again. it's just the same as before, except this time, the connection is ten times worse.

the kick hits him so hard he loses his balance, leaving him with his arms around his horse's neck as he teeters off the side, ultimately smacking the dirt.

in a panic, kuroo and bokuto rip at their horses' mouths to steer them out of the way of his body, either running off the path or into other horses. 

y/n and lev both watch the disaster behind them in shock. after a moment, they look to each other, smiles spreading on their faces as the group grows farther and farther away. laughing in triumph, lev holds out a hand for her to grab, allowing her to pull herself up onto his horse. 

together, they ride away.


	54. Chapter 54

where lev and y/n are headed, they don't know. they simply continue forward, away from the mess they left behind.

what they also don't know, is that the vengeful group on their tail is not so easily shaken.

lingering behind far enough to not be noticed, a man follows, marking passing trees with a knife as he goes.

lev and y/n ride obliviously into a canyon, hoping that the path will lead them somewhere— anywhere. they don’t want to admit it, but they’re lost.

they walk over a narrow, rock ledge, just barely wide enough for their horse. as they approach the other end, lev narrows his eyes, realizing that the path is taking them straight to the top of a plateau, which leads to a deadly drop.

he pulls their horse up in hesitation. y/n squeaks when one of its hind hooves scrapes off the side of the bridge, sending pieces of rock hurtling into the canyon below. "lev! what are you doing?!"

"we're heading for a dead end." he motions to the barely visible area, rein in hand.

y/n peers behind them, noting the impossibility of retreating now. "the path is too narrow to turn around... we have to reach the end first." 

he nods, clucking the horse on.

the heat from the setting sun beats down on them as they cross over the rest of the way, taking a toll on them psychically. 

once they reach the other side, they dismount and take a much-needed break before making the trip again.

plopping down on the flat surface, y/n lets her eyes fall closed while she wipes her forehead repeatedly, her lips smacking together in growing thirst.

it's hard for her vision to focus at first, but when she opens her eyes, she swears she sees something heading towards them on the bridge.

she squints, turning her head slightly. is it the heat playing tricks on her? "hey, lev...?" she calls. 

lev, who’s busy tending to the horse, hums in response.

"am i... going delusional?" her throat swallows painfully at her lack of saliva. 

pausing, lev furrows his brows. he turns around slowly to see y/n staring off into the distance. concerned, he advances. "what?"

she raises a pointed finger in the direction of the figure. "...do you see that too?" 

looking where she gestures to, lev peers through the heat waves and dust. there is, in fact, something coming closer. a shadow in the debris; a vague shape.

then, a gust of wind blows past, howling through the canyon. it pushes the drifting dust clouds away, clearing their view. 

upon the clarity, lev realizes that it isn't just a singular figure— but the entire gathering of pursuers they thought they had already escaped. they walk on foot over the bridge, having left their horses behind. 

they recognize the one in front with the slight limp as oikawa, a bloodied smear under his nose.

lev's squinted eyes widen greatly when he notices the snarl on oikawa's face, his dirt-covered teeth baring in pure abhorrence. their eyes meet, and he watches as he reaches for his gun, pulling it out and aiming just as fast.

in a quick moment of comprehension, he yelps loudly and sprawls over y/n, hastily knocking her to the ground as a bullet whizzes by where his head was moments ago.

another goes by.

and another. 

luckily, each one misses.

when he reaches the plateau, oikawa spits a wad of blood from his mouth, gun still smoking. he walks over to lev and y/n's cowering bodies, planting a kick into their sides. "get up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hoes mad your honor 🤸


	55. Chapter 55

with his gun, oikawa directs y/n and lev so that their backs are to the edge of the plateau.

y/n chokes back a gasp when she sees how far the drop is into the river below.

they stand side by side with their hands in the air, their eyes glued to oikawa like hawks. a bead of sweat drips from lev's jaw, a kind that isn't from the heat.

then, opposed to ending their lives on the spot, oikawa twirls the weapon around in his hands playfully. "i bet you thought you got away. that was a _nifty_ ," he spits, "trick you pulled, y/n!" his tone is so forcibly cheerful it sounds like it hurts.

he stops beside ushijima, who stands emotionlessly as he chucks an arm over his shoulder. "but! thanks to..." he pauses, his face drooping as he studies ushijima's profile. "...this guy... right here..."

a nameless voice calls from within the crowd behind them, “ushijima!"

"ushijima!" he repeats with a smile. "yes, thanks to my friend ushijima here, we managed to track you!" his hand pats the man's chest. "isn't that right, ushi?"

ushijima only side-eyes him with a grunt.

oikawa's faux grin is replaced with a scowl as soon as his face is out of ushijima's view. for some reason, that guy really rubs him the wrong way.

when he returns to the duo, the character he had put on earlier is no longer there. the oikawa from the bridge reappears; his eyes cold and latching onto y/n's like a predator to prey. the point of his revolver is still and steady as he aims it at her head. "so, now... i guess it's time for your punishment, isn't it?"

suspense fills the air as his finger brushes against the trigger, seemingly delaying their execution. y/n hopes it to be out of hesitation, but she wouldn't be surprised if it's because he's enjoying their fear.

after a moment, the hardness in his glare softens some. he almost looks like he's going to let out a breath, all until someone bounds in front of him.

bokuto.

with his arms splayed out as a barrier, he stares down oikawa, inches away from the end of his gun.

blinking, oikawa shakes his head. he waits for the movement-induced cloud of dust to pass before speaking. "what do you think you're doing?"

bokuto lowers his head. he kneads his eyebrows together, shutting his eyes in preparation to be reprimanded. "i... i can't let you. i can't let you kill y/n."

lev's shoulders slump. "he means both of us, obviously," he laughs nervously.

bokuto continues, "is this really the best way you can think of? i mean... heart-stealer or not... y/n means something to me. she means something to all of us—"

oikawa's pupils contract in an animalistic fashion. "that's the witchcraft talking!" he snaps, grip tightening around the handle.

"i'm not going to watch her die!" bokuto fires back just as loud.

the shouting dissipates as quickly as it starts, and silence falls over them once again.

the crowd shuffles uncomfortably at hearing bokuto say what they'd all been thinking. really, nobody wanted to harm y/n, but were any of them going to stand up to oikawa in the state that he's in?

no, only somebody crazy would do something like that.

only somebody like bokuto.

oikawa clicks his tongue, peering down at bokuto hunching over in defense. "you really are as stupid as you are a brute," he mumbles. "kind of reminds me of someone i know, actually."

* * *

in the peacefulness of their home, iwaizumi sits in the sunroom, a book in hand. the birds and bugs sing through the mesh walls, adding ambiance to the story he's currently immersed in.

his chair creaks as he leans back against the cushion, legs crossed. the smell from the cup of tea on the table occasionally makes its rounds in the air. his eyes skim the page, lips moving just barely as he reads each word.

then, right as he approaches the book’s climax, he shoots straight up, a burning sensation creeping up his back. his skin tingles and his muscles twist, causing him to slam the book shut loudly.

the hairs on his neck rise and he lowers his brow, glancing around the room. it feels like something is trying to pull him by the wrist— no, like something is trying to direct him somewhere.

"...i think need to kick oikawa's butt..." he mutters lowly.


	56. Chapter 56

the tension in the atmosphere only grows as oikawa and bokuto brew in it.

both of them are inside their heads, pondering the next thing to say— the next course of action. everyone else watches anxiously, their imagination being their only insight to the minds of the men in front of them.

oikawa sticks his tongue in his cheek, glancing at a few anticipating faces. he sucks in a breath. "what's stopping me from shooting you as well?"

y/n's stomach does a backflip. she lowers one of her hands to jab at bokuto's shoulder, hoping to get him to back down somehow. "bokuto—"

her teeth grit when he shakes away her touch, ignoring her. "you can't shoot me." he says, and she mentally starts ripping her hair out. is now really the time to start taunting oikawa?

raising his brows, oikawa's mouth pops open slightly. "oh?" he pulls his gun away to study it mockingly. "that's weird. i'm pretty sure all i'd have to do is—" he slowly steps forward, pressing the muzzle to bokuto's forehead. "pull the trigger like this—"

y/n stops herself from pushing bokuto out of the way when he crinkles his face up and belts, "I'LL RECEIVE THE BULLET!"

the shout echoes through the canyon, leaving everyone in confused silence. oikawa can't even find anything snarky to say— which is new for him.

the corners of lev's mouth twitch, and he nudges y/n in the shoulder with his elbow. "oh, he'll receive it alright." he leans in closer to catch her ear.

when y/n doesn't respond, he saddens. "are you guys ignoring me on purpose?"

y/n's brow furrows as she recalls something bokuto said to her a while back.

" _you could aim a bullet straight for my heart and i'd live_."

that's ridiculous, of course, and at the time she didn't believe it— she still doesn't believe it. but, there's no reason why bokuto should look death head-on with such nerve. even the stupidest of men feared having their life taken from them.

there's also the fact that he took minimal damage from the rodeo bull. she remembers wondering how he even survived something like that; how his body seemed to reflect each hit and only leave him with a few bruises and scrapes.

"you'll... receive the... bullet?" oikawa blinks.

bokuto nods. bringing his fist to his chest, he stands proudly. "it won’t be able to break past the second layer of skin!"

not believing the outrageous claim for a second, oikawa's eyelids fall half-closed. "and if i put that technique to the test?" he asks, becoming increasingly more impatient.

his confidence falters when bokuto grins complacently in response.

"i said receive, not block." he cocks one of his thick, arched brows. "if you fire that gun, i'll be sending the bullet right back where it came from," he warns, implying the object will rebound off of him.

the self-assuredness of the statement causes oikawa's mouth to twist into a frown. to make matters worse, he hears the crowd behind him exchange a few murmurs and move around awkwardly. they're losing their confidence as well.

smelling a chain of further betrayal in his midst, oikawa becomes anxious. growling in frustration, he runs a shaky hand through his hair before aiming his gun directly at bokuto's eye.

bokuto stills, and everyone else follows.

"you said only your skin was impenetrable, right?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you guys werent hoping this fic would take a more normal route right? 💀💀


	57. Chapter 57

oikawa feels a bubbling sensation rise in his chest with every second bokuto doesn't reply.

he's got him.

of course he does. he's too smart to be outdone by someone like bokuto, too high up in the hierarchy to be bested by someone so low. he didn't make it this far for nothing, after all.

"... are you sure you want to take that risk?" bokuto finally says.

his words linger in oikawa's head for a moment, but the slight, barely noticeable loss of fierceness in his tone urges him to say yes. he’s bluffing now, surely; from the way the arch of his brow has gone limp, to how his gaze doesn't dare leave the end of the gun.

bokuto is scared.

but why isn't he backing down?

"you tell him."

"no! why me?"

"because!"

daichi and kuroo exchange hushed bickering in the background, and eventually, kuroo gives in with a sigh.

placing an almost-hovering-hand on oikawa's shoulder, kuroo makes a noise in his throat to avoid any unwanted reactions to being snuck up on. oikawa turns his head and shoots him a wide-eyed glance, the kind that says _'i'm busy.'_

with raised brows, kuroo lets out a breath. "hey, man. we just, uh," he looks to bokuto for a brief moment, feeling guilty knowing that he's unfortunately bad at reading through the lines. "we just want to let you know that we're behind you. a hundred percent. literally." he places a stiff, singular pat on his back, hoping he can see through his implicit reminder. "like, we are back here... all of us."

clearly, their worry is not without reason. if bokuto _does_ receive the bullet with his eye, who's to say it won't hit one of them instead of oikawa?

now, there are two ways this could go: either oikawa takes how many people are within ricochet range into consideration, or he hears the words as genuine support.

with his single, bloodshot eye tracing kuroo's features, oikawa doesn't speak. he seems confused at first, but kuroo swears he sees a smile form beyond the curve of his shoulder. after that, he slowly faces bokuto again like nothing was ever said to him.

kuroo lets out a heavy sigh, walking back in line with his arms pressed firmly to his sides. "well, i don't think that went how it was supposed to." he mumbles to daichi, sweating buckets.

"definitely not." daichi swallows hard.

they should've known oikawa was too prideful to see it as anything other than encouragement.

as if rehearsed, everyone takes two, hamstring-splitting steps back in unison.

unfortunately, at the crossroads of oikawa's interpretation, the universe decides to take the path of the latter. those few words were exactly what he needed to hear to get the cogs spinning in his brain again. "i think it's time for you to get out of the way." he says through a tense smile.

bokuto's chest tightens as he realizes what's about to happen. in seconds, the deafening crack of the gun ripples through every crook and crevice of the canyon before he can even flinch.

time really does slow when you're about to die, he thinks. it doesn't happen as fast as you would imagine— or hope. the image of the bullet hurdling towards him is taking entirely too long, leaving him with entirely too much time to think; entirely too much time to feel and acknowledge what he's feeling.

it's a feeling he wasn't well acquainted with up until today:

fear.

then, in the corner of his eye, he sees a flash of grey and red. when his irises trail the movement, his stomach almost crawls up his throat.

as if in slow motion, lev jumps in front of him, arms thrown out in a shielding manner— wait, no. he _is_ jumping in slow motion.

"noooo!" he drawls out in his physically impossible, dramatic display, just barely stopping the bullet with his dawdling pace. his entire body contracts when he's struck, the object ripping through his flesh and sending him to the ground in a heap.

a searing ache tears through his being, and it’s the last thing he experiences before the world goes black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 😳 alright, hear me out guys. i can explain. just hear me out, listen— 🏃🏃💨💨💨💨


	58. Chapter 58

the shock is crippling.

while everyone's ears ring and the smoke trails from oikawa's gun, nobody moves.

nobody speaks, nobody blinks. not even a breath is shared.

even oikawa, who's still processing the events, is frozen.

a disgustingly heavy, suffocating feeling overcomes y/n as her eyes scan lev's motionless body. she needs any sign of life— a faint inhale, a twitch of a finger. _anything_.

her head feels like it's about to explode. she can't form a single coherent thought as a turbulent, black void in her mind flashes only bits and pieces of words.

then, all at once, her senses come back to her. the ringing in her eardrums lessens, the pounding of her heart becomes apparent, and she's suddenly aware of the uncontrollable shaking of her hands.

everyone flinches and snaps out of their daze when she lets out a blood-curdling scream.

" _NO_!" she wails so desperately her voice cracks. "LEV!”

with trembling limbs, she attempts to carry herself to his side as fast as possible. "lev! please! say something!" tears flow over the edges of her eyelids, blurring her vision.

before she can fully rid the distance between them, an arm is thrown out in front of her.

bokuto, who's heaving a bit from shock himself, wraps her body up in his hold.

"bokuto! stop!" she claws and writhes in his grip, even doing so much as hitting and kicking him. "let me go!" she cries, "let me go, now!"

she watches in horror as lev's body grows further away while bokuto moves her across the plateau. trying not to wince at how loudly she yowls by his ear, he makes a beeline for the edge. his eyes squeeze shut to fight off any hesitation, and with a few swift movements, he jumps.

feeling the ground no longer beneath him, he slips out an unsure whimper while tucking his head into the crook of y/n's neck. his fingertips tighten on the fabric of her back painfully.

due to her hysterical state, she didn’t realize his plan until it was too late. they both go plummeting through the air and into the rapids below, the impact knocking y/n completely unconscious, rendering her limp in his grasp. their intertwined bodies sink into the depths of the blue, disappearing.

reacting much too slow, oikawa sprints to the spot where they jumped, frantically peering down into the river. when he's unable to find any traces of them, he lets out a series of curses while firing off multiple, aimless shots into the water.

walking away, he studies the ground and takes in calming breaths. his fingers run through his hair repeatedly as he thinks.

"tall oak is just downstream from that river. that's where they'll be."

eyes widening at the voice, oikawa's head shoots up so fast he could snap his neck. the hand on his head pauses, and the rest of his body follows.

"i-... iwaizumi?" he swallows. "i don't— when did you— how did you—?"

"instincts," iwaizumi replies flatly.

oikawa looks over at daichi and kuroo, who shrug in response. after a moment of staring, he suddenly registers what iwaizumi had told him. recollecting himself, he looks off at the flow of the river. "how can you be so sure they'll be there?"

iwaizumi appears at his side. "that's where the current dies down. it's too strong for them to get out anywhere else." he offers his help, despite being completely uninterested in the chase. 

a smirk grows on oikawa's face, regaining confidence in his endeavor. that’s right, it only makes sense for them to end up at tall oak again.

their escapade is going to make a full circle.

then, iwaizumi sees oikawa shoot him a sideways glance in his peripheral. he can practically envision the ignorant comment forming in the taller of the two's mind, whatever it may be.

oikawa's smile spreads and he lifts an exaggerating hand in the air. "i don't know how, but i feel like this is all your fault, iwa. i think you're a bad luck charm or some—"

_'BONK_ '

a vicious, hollowed-out thud echoes through the atmosphere for miles.

" _OW_!" oikawa rubs at the sore spot on his head, wincing. it hurts so bad it makes him want to check iwaizumi's knuckles for pieces of his hair.

"thanks for reminding me why i'm here, you moron!" iwaizumi snarls, rubbing his aching hand.

"you're so mean!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys, listen, the reason lev— the reason is uh— t-the.... the reason is 🔇🔇🔇🔇


	59. Chapter 59

the sky turns a dark hue with faint traces of purple painted near the horizon. 

a cricket bounces onto y/n's cheek, chirping by her ear. her face twitches and contorts, eyelids fluttering open slowly.

thanks to the moonlight shining through the trees, she can just barely make out her surroundings.

there are remnants of dirt and grass that stick to her face as she lifts her head, plastered on from moisture. turning around, she realizes the freezing sensation around her legs is from being partially submerged in the river.

gasping a little, she quickly pulls the rest of her body onto land, spreading out her sopping wet dress. she sits slumped by the riverside as bits of earlier events come back to her, piece by piece. 

after recuperating some, she remembers how she got here in the first place— bokuto.

her gaze twists around the area in search of him, but he doesn't appear to be in the vicinity. she also remembers blacking out shortly after the jump, so she wonders if he did too, hence why they got separated. 

that must be it, she thinks. he probably got washed up somewhere near as well. 

wiping the strands of hair stuck to her forehead away, she rises to her feet. immediately, she sees that one of her shoes is missing. her toes curl up in the grass and she sighs. great.

then, she hums to herself in thought, glancing around again. "where is...?"

pausing, her body stiffens. she feels a trail of goosebumps trickle up her arms, and her heart suddenly carries a twenty-pound chain.

the last image of lev finally plays in her mind, completing the puzzle that was her scattered memory. 

"n-no..." her hand reactively clutches the fabric around her chest. it feels like someone is standing on her ribcage, like somebody is squeezing her heart into pieces. 

gritting her teeth, she doubles over and lets out a hauntingly pained scream. 

her eyes screw shut as the sting from her bitter tears flow down her cheeks. it burns like fire, like hysteria. 

like loathing.

through her blurry vision, the streetlights of tall oak create a dim path. a destination.

she leaves red marks where she wipes her face roughly, taking step by heavy step towards the unsuspecting town. her features remain grim, soulless as she chokes out a few sobs here and there.

those boys have to pay.

* * *

a group of stampeding hooves gather at the entrance of the town, riding right under the sign that reads 'TALL OAK'. 

the town's residents slam shut their doors and blinds, hiding away in the safety of their homes. 

at the front of the pack, oikawa lifts his palm and pulls his horse to an abrupt stop. it dips its haunches and slides against the dirt road, halting in a cloud of dust. 

with the rest of the riders following his lead, they create an intimidating crowd at the center of the town, the moon and streetlights capturing the display.

oikawa's horse strikes out with its front legs and he raises a hand to keep his hat perched on his head. "y/n! we know you're here!" he pauses to let the dust settle, then does a slow circle to eye each building closely. 

kuroo, daichi, and ushijima peer around as well, waiting for a response.

when y/n doesn't show herself, oikawa pouts mockingly. "oh, please, are you really resorting to hiding now?" 

he rolls his eyes, then promptly turns to tell everyone to raid every home and establishment in the area. 

as they all nod and prepare to continue their hunt, an enormous explosion erupts behind oikawa. they panic in attempts to stop their spooking horses, choking on the blast that’s sent through the air.

panting, oikawa spins his mount to the source. he drops his hand from his hat, knocking sprinkles of dirt and rocks off the brim. his lips part slightly.

y/n stands in front of what used to be the local gun shop, strapped from head to toe with countless weapons that definitely are not historically accurate.

blowing fallen strands of hair out of her face, she gives them a cocky grin. "it's only fair if both of us get our dramatic entrance."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the explosion is so stupid it makes me laugh every time idk why LMFAO 💀💀💀 hehe loud noise funney 🤠


	60. Chapter 60

kuroo catches his horse after falling from it during the detonation. he stands beside his mount, frozen in disbelief. "what... are we supposed to do?" he swallows deeply at how heavily armed y/n is.

shaking his head, oikawa's brow furrows. "i don't know..." his voice remains low so their lack of planning remains between them.

for the first time, oikawa has to openly admit that he isn't always a step ahead.

daichi and kuroo look at each other and blink.

clearly in a state of pondering, oikawa rests his arms on his saddle horn. he's quiet for a moment before inhaling. "so, what's your next move, y/n?"

y/n lifts the two loaded machine guns in her arms. "i think you already know." she aims both weapons directly towards the crowd of men in front of her. they stagger a little at the sight.

oikawa sits up and throws his arms out to gesture to everyone, including himself. "we don't have to do this. you could just give us our hearts back and this would all be over."

grinding her teeth, y/n lets out an irritated growl. "i don't _have_ your hearts!"

his hand grips onto the saddle horn until his knuckle turns white. how can she continue denying such a thing? they're all so sure that she used her witchcraft on them— they can feel it; the ache in their chest when they see her, like the void she left is calling to the piece it needs to be full again:

their hearts.

oikawa rips his gun from his holster aggressively, everyone behind following suit.

he bares his teeth before spitting out " _LIAR_!" like venom on his tongue.

just when they both place their fingers on the trigger, a commanding voice appears from the back of the pack, beyond where karasuno is standing.

"ENOUGH!"

y/n and oikawa stop.

slowly, the crowd splits into two as a powerful force walks down the middle, each person's eyes widening as they pass. oikawa and y/n send each other a questioning look at the sluggish pace of the mediator.

it takes some time before they reach the front, taking stance slightly ahead of oikawa.

the arbiter is incredibly large, his hair white atop his head and his brows nearly invisible— which somehow makes him more intimidating. currently captivated in a book (a thesaurus that he happens to be reading casually), he doesn't speak.

nobody can pry their eyes off of him as they wait ever so suspenseful-ly for some kind of interaction.

after a moment of peering down his nose at the article, his eyes follow the final line of text on the page. he clears his throat and snaps the object shut in his hand.

everyone swallows hard— some even wiping a layer of sweat from their brow.

the man looks to y/n, standing directly in between the opposing sides. "i've seen enough," he states. "the inability to settle such a foolish feud without bloodshed is an animal's game."

his low tone reverberates in y/n's ears as he stares at her expectantly. she's almost hypnotized by it at first, but her anger snaps her out of it. immediately, she realizes that he wants them to drop their guns. "no! i'll never forgive any of them!" her finger protrudes towards oikawa accusingly. "he shot lev! he shot my best friend and he has to pay! they all do!"

as oikawa goes to point back, the man stops him by lowering his hand. he pauses. "the remorse on his mind is punishment enough."

oikawa's head shoots up, sending him a fear-stricken glance. he rips his wrist from his grasp, looking his profile up and down in disbelief. "how... how do you...—?"

y/n's eyes bounce back and forth between them. her face hardens, and she lowers her weapons subconsciously. "what are you talking about?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✨✨✨woahhh partially-omniscient-being aone is here✨✨✨ (oh also i would just like to say that the chapter after this is currently 🚨UNDER CONSTRUCTION🚨 so this MIGHT be the last chapter for today but also maybe not depending on how editing goes lol ok thanx)


	61. Chapter 61

shaking her head wildly, y/n lifts her weapons again. "n-no! whatever you have to say doesn't matter! move!" she aims for the man, her brows kneading.

when he doesn't flinch, it only angers her more. "i said move!" she spits. "or die!"

the cocky gesture of the man slowly lifting his arms to welcome her gunfire makes her blood boil. how can he defend them?!

in a split-second decision, she unleashes waves of rapid-fire. everyone else ducks down at the sound, but the man receives every bullet with ease— blocking them, more like.

each item hits his body and stops dead in the air, dropping to a clattering pile in front of him.

when the guns run empty, she lets out a few fatigued breaths. the now useless weapons drop from her hands, and she realizes that he doesn't sport a single wound. not planning on giving up yet, she immediately goes to reach for another set strapped to her thighs.

the man nonchalantly reaches down into the pile by his feet, collecting a handful to chuck at her with unbelievable speed.

before she can even note the impossibility of the action, the outline of her figure is caught by bullets. they tear through her clothing and mount her to the wall, unscathed. her right arm remains free, but the bullets are lodged so far in that she can't pick them out.

unable to break away, she hangs pathetically like some kind of ornament. after a moment, she lets out a huff. " _WHAT_?!" she yells, tossing her arm out exasperatedly.

"you will listen." the man says simply, his face remaining blank.

y/n waits impatiently, a scowl on her features.

"oikawa did not mean to seriously harm anyone," he explains, and oikawa goes rigid beside him.

"what?! i— i don't make mistakes!" he denies. "if i didn't want to shoot anybody, then i wouldn't have! you don't have any idea just who you're talking about!"

glaring down at him in the corner of his eye, the man doesn't budge at oikawa's attempt to domineer. "i know of you well."

"ah—?" he freezes. he could easily counter, but for some odd reason, he isn't able.

breathing in, the man looks to y/n again. "y/n, the current state of your friend is unbeknownst to me, but i can inform you that oikawa is not the bloodthirsty kind he makes himself out to be."

y/n blanks, thoughts devoid of a response. her lip bobs in search of words, though the only thing she can manage to do is stare back. it isn't until she feels something physically click in her head that the turbulent tides smooth over.

her irises grey just before her head drops, hanging loosely at her neck.

* * *

_preparing to leave, oikawa goes to step away from the edge. as he does so, his eyes accidentally latch onto lev, whose body is laying on its side across the plateau._

_he becomes still, quiet, seemingly forgetting what he was doing._

_iwaizumi crosses his arms, gaze drifting towards his friend's conflicted expression._

_"... i didn't mean to shoot," he exhales, only loud enough for iwaizumi to catch._

_"you shouldn't have had your finger resting on the trigger then, idiot."_

_shoulders tensing, oikawa puffs up. "i wasn't thinking, okay!?" he shouts back defensively, drawing a few looks. noticing this, he pulls himself together, scanning the crowd._

_when he spots sugawara and tadashi at random, he points. "you two."_

_confused, they approach._

_now speaking privately, oikawa starts, "if he's dead," he motions to lev's body, "then you know what to do... but if he's alive..." he pauses, continuing a bit lower, "help him."_

_though surprised at first, the duo obliges, jogging over and kneeling at lev's side._

_"everyone else," oikawa beckons to the remaining posse. "let's ride." he gestures for them to follow, heading for the horses beyond the bridge._

* * *

the planted vision fades, and her eyes quickly fill with light again.

she regains consciousness, and oikawa notes her ghostly appearance, jutting back at her change in demeanor.

first, she looks to the white-haired man for answers, but he doesn’t react. her gaze falls to the ground, darting around to piece together what she just saw.

"you... you tried to help lev?"

it takes oikawa a moment to speak, as he's still frightened by whatever just possessed her. "i don't know what either of you are talking about. stop being weird!" he protests.

"it was an accident." y/n explains to herself, then sends him a puzzled look joined with a frown. "... you didn't mean to fire the gun.”

kuroo and daichi watch oikawa lose his typical, proud, upright posture. he stops moving altogether, and they glance at each other in thought.

oikawa's eyes fall between his horse's ears, and his grip tightens on the reins slightly. he lets out a defeated breath before running a hand down his face roughly, "okay, fine. _no_ , i didn't."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sikkeee 😳😳 i got TWO chapters edited and ready right before bed 🕺🕺 heehee hoohoo 🕺🕺


	62. Chapter 62

maybe oikawa isn't so heartless after all.

y/n continues watching him attentively, partially debating on how to proceed.

oikawa chews on his lip. normally, he didn't mind being the only one talking, but this time, it's different. "the gun was just supposed to be a fear tactic." he doesn't turn around, but is listening intently for any backlash from behind. "when kuroo reminded me how many of us there were, i was going to have them dogpile on you guys, but then... i guess my finger slipped." he speaks surprisingly calmly. 

"still, i didn't know what i was going to do with you when i had you," he adds. "there was never a plan— which was probably obvious, since everything i do is usually perfect."

y/n rolls her eyes. he's arrogant even in error.

clearing his throat, he crosses his arms over his chest. "... so, i guess i should apologize to you all..." he mutters, lips pursing.

appearing to zone out, he holds an unwavering stare to the dirt beneath them. everyone listens expectantly, practically on the edge of their seats until his gaze flickers up to meet y/n's. "but i won't."

her mouth falls agape. a snarky response nearly slips through, but she holds back. eyes eventually breaking from oikawa's to the ground, she remembers what the man had said about him earlier.

_"the remorse on his mind is punishment enough."_

she wonders how much truth there was to that. he's an idiot who deserves it to an extent, but she can't imagine what it's like to live in his head with no way out.

to him, his facade is too important to express anything other than pride, so he couldn't apologize here no matter how sorry he might be— not in front of all the people he's deemed himself better than.

perhaps she should consider herself lucky to have been able to hear it once, and perhaps he was right about remorse being punishing.

looking up, she sees them all watching, waiting.

she'd almost forgot.

the ignorant reason for this whole fiasco— their stolen hearts. the ignorant reason that they all collectively agreed made sense; a motive that they obviously aren’t going to give up on. so, what could she do? were they destined to go on like this forever?

the sight of the man beside oikawa staring her down catches her attention. his eyes are intense, like he's trying to communicate something—to put something in her mind.

then, she understands. she's not sure _how_ , but she does.

_‘put an end to this.’_

she scans the surveying crowd, her face burning up. she's entirely too stubborn to let them win like this, but sometimes you have to push your dignity aside... not taint it, but push it aside.

which is why she will be erasing this entire day from memory when she gets home.

with a low groan, she lifts her free hand to dig into her hair. "alright... i'll give you your hearts back."

everyone blinks. did she just say what they think she said? kuroo and daichi grab each other's hands, squeezing their palms together in anticipation. ushijima cleans his ear out with his pinky, certain he misheard. even oikawa staggers a bit, his mouth parting in surprise.

giving the white-haired man one last look for reassurance, he nods solemnly, a slight curve to the ends of his lips.

suddenly, any celebration is halted by the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching in the distance.

very rapidly.

at lightning speed, bokuto comes crashing into town. he skids to a stop in between the two sides, kicking up a dust-storm and pointing in both directions. "HEY, HEY, HEY! FOUND YOU GUYS!" he screams, soon followed by ragged breathing.

noticing his mentor standing next to him, he gives a small wave. "oh, hey aone." he greets softly, pleasantly surprised.

the white-haired man gives him a short "hello." in response.

it takes a moment for anyone else to speak, as they're a bit taken aback by his appearance.

his clothing is tattered to shreds, some pieces just barely hanging on by a thread. on top of that, there's his hair that's filled with sticks, spiderwebs, and god knows what, and not to mention the scrapes and scratches lining his body. he'd probably still be soaked from the river too, if the wind resistance didn't dry him off on the way here.

"b-bokuto...? what... happened?" y/n shakes her head. "you were only gone for an hour!"

promptly, bokuto goes off passionately about his ridiculous, _he-shouldn't-even-be-alive-right-now_ adventure. it's hard to keep up, but y/n's pretty sure there’s some volcano-scaling and a few bear-wrestling-matches thrown in there.

"oh, and i can speak to animals now. watch this—" he opens his mouth incredibly wide to make whatever ear-drum shattering noise he has in mind. everyone yells in protest, but he only stops when aone smacks a hand over his face.

prying the fingers away from his eyes and mouth, he moves on without skipping a beat. "by the way, what did i miss?"


	63. Chapter 63

"whaaa—?!" bokuto throws his arms about wildly. "getting our hearts back?! i want mine!" he attempts to run to y/n, but aone stills him by the collar (which by some miracle doesn't snap).

"wait your turn," he says, ceasing bokuto's peeling out. he lets out a whine in response, but stays patient, nonetheless.

releasing bokuto, aone sends y/n another nod, this time as a goodbye. she returns it, watching him part the crowd like the red sea once again.

everyone steps aside respectfully, watching as well. once he reaches the end, a cloud of dust blows by, obscuring the onlookers' views. when the debris settles, aone is gone.

they all gawk in amazement, letting out whistles and hoots as they pile over each other in search of him.

"woah! he disappeared!"

"he's magic!"

"incredible!"

y/n's brow twitches. "guys, he went _that_ way..." she points down the fork in the road, opposite to the path they’re looking down. the blurry figure of aone, orange thesaurus under his arm and all, can be seen going about his travels under one of the streetlights.

not a single head turns in that direction, making it obvious that they're all too rowdy at the moment to hear her.

a gush of air blows out of her nose and she rolls her eyes. "okay, who's getting their heart back first?"

instantly, a single file line appears.

she scoffs. "geez...”

the first one up is ushijima. it's hard to tell with him, but the slight tint in his cheeks is enough to let anyone know he's excited.

he approaches her steadily, stopping a few feet in front of her. it's a little awkward, as he's not a man of many words. she reaches out to pat his cheek. "y'know, i didn't really expect to see you here." he doesn't respond, so she takes it upon herself to fill the silence once more, "i can't promise you won't find me stealing corn from your fields again." she laughs a little, and a partial smile pricks at the corner of his mouth.

grinning at his mostly stoic face one last time, she uses her hand to usher it closer. turning his head, her lips plant a soft, tiny peck on his cheek.

when she pulls away, he takes a moment to stare at her questioningly. his flushing, beet red skin contrasts with his blank features.

"enjoy having your heart back." she smiles before sending him off.

he walks away a little more rigid than usual, passing the others without making eye contact despite their intrigued gazes. towards the end of the town, he meets with a gangly silhouette.

"corn?" ushijima holds a hand out, which is soon filled with his request. he brings it to his lips immediately, like a cigarette to calm the nerves. "let's go... tendou."

a few whispers emerge nearby.

"tendou?" 

"has he been here the whole time?"

hearing mention of his name, tendou does a short dance before waving goodbye, leaving with just enough time to catch up to ushijima.

next in line is daichi. he steps up hat in hand, fingertips gripping the brim as it swings in front of his waist. looking off a little uncomfortably, he chuckles. this time, he's the first to speak. "hey... y/n."

after she greets back, he takes in a breath and smiles at her meekly. "...you reckon that if we met under better circumstances, things would have been... better?”

y/n reaches out, stroking the stubble on his jaw with her thumb. "i _reckon_... that's something the universe would have to decide."

daichi rubs the back of his neck with a scoff. "yeah, i guess you're right. dumb question." he cringes.

giggling at his needless flustering, a reassuring grin spreads on her lips. "or maybe i'll work some of my witchcraft and rewind?"

eyes widening as if debating the actual possibility, he stumbles on his next words. with a quick shake of his head, he looks down to his boots and laughs along. "right..."

following the same routine, she leans in and grants him a kiss as well. he rests a treasuring palm over the spot and they exchange goodbyes.

once he regroups with karasuno, he releases a celebratory howl that echoes throughout the night. "GOT MY HEART BACK, BOYS!"

there's a slight pause before every single group-members' hat goes flying through the air. they jump and tug on each other excitedly, screaming and hollering.

observing the disruptive event, oikawa leans in to nudge iwaizumi's shoulder. "what did he just say?" he crinkles his nose in confusion, trying to decipher the gibberish.

"why should i know?" iwaizumi stares, just as dumbfounded.

"you speak hillbilly, don’t y—“ a swift smack to the back of the head cuts him off, knocking him forward. he staggers, rubbing the affected spot. “ _OWIE_!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> good ol placebo effect 😼 also tendou was doing the stanky leg. no you can not imagine it as anything else.


	64. Chapter 64

kuroo steps up to the front of the line, sending y/n one of his signature, toothy grins.

he stops just before she can reach him, snatching his hat off to bow. "evening, miss witch-lady."

y/n scoffs, although she _is_ a bit glad that months worth of mining wasn't enough to break his spirit. "don't make me curse you."

straightening up, he takes a few quick, lengthy strides forward. "alright, alright." he laughs.

with their faces now inches apart, his eyes scan her up and down; the perk at the corner of his mouth unable to subside.

y/n's brow cocks at his seemingly flirtatious ogling, all the while attempting to ignore the way his head tilts just slightly as if debating to go in for a kiss.

he lets out a low exhale through his nose, gaze rising to meet hers. "i missed you."

her eyes dart away when she feels a warmth growing in her face. she bites the inside of her cheek, furrowing her brow. "oh, whatever. do you want your heart back or not?"

a soft chuckle rises in his chest. without speaking, he leans in, tapping a spot on his cheek with his index.

he waits to feel the downy sensation of her lips meeting his skin before pulling away. when he does, she can't help but notice that he's a little less chipper. "is this the last time we'll ever see each other?" he asks.

she lops her head to the side, baring her teeth sweetly. "you haven't seen enough of me already?"

kuroo's brows jump upwards, and she can see his charming demeanor return. the sadness in the shadows of his eyes falters, and he dips his head down to meet her at eye level. "definitely not." he states in all seriousness.

a hum rumbles in her throat. "then maybe it won't be."

with that, she sends him off.

he heads back to where he left kenma— sitting in the dirt playing tic-tac-toe. for a moment, kuroo stands in silence beside his hunched-over figure, hands on his hips. catching himself in his thoughts, he quickly blinks back to reality and sighs. "i need a drink." his eyes trail down to the top of kenma's head. "...you coming?"

with a stick in his hand, kenma draws an 'O' in one of the boxes.

"hey! are you listening?" kuroo nudges the side of his body with his boot, to which he still doesn't react. "how are you even playing tic-tac-toe by yourself? don't ignore me!"

across from them, bokuto eagerly bounds towards y/n. he's been jittering in line for a while, she's surprised he made it this long without exploding.

he throws his arms out like he wants to hug her, but awkwardly stops himself when he remembers she's bulleted to a wall. "eh— uh..." instead, one arm shoots down to his side, and the other to the back of his head. he laughs heartily. "sorry! you probably wouldn't want to hug me anyway, i'm a little dirty..."

y/n finds his understatement amusing, noting how... nature-y he smells now that he's closer.

"oh! that reminds me!" he hastily digs into one of his pockets, pulling a poppy from its depths. well, it's more of a stem at this point, as most of its petals have either wilted or fallen off.

"i found this while i was lost, it reminded me of you!" he juts the plant out in front of her face, causing even more petals to drop. tilting it in his hand, his face droops a little while he examines it. "well... it looked a lot prettier when i first saw it..." he mumbles under his breath, a confused twist to his features.

regardless, y/n finds the gesture endearing. he's a bit of a romantic, isn't he? she reaches out for the object, plucking it from his calloused fingers and placing it over her ear. "thank you, bokuto." she pauses. "for everything. really."

his agape mouth pops shut, and a tint of rose flushes over the tip of his nose. he smiles giddily, shoulders riding up his neck with delight. "you can always make it up to me by becoming my wife!" he adds lightheartedly.

shaking her head, she grins at him and laughs. "how about a kiss on the cheek for now?"

reminding him why he's here in the first place, his eyes widen momentarily. he brings his palm to the side of his face, roughly ridding his cheek of any dirt or mud before showcasing it to y/n.

a glow finds itself on his features as he welcomes the split-second embrace, pulling away with an ear-to-ear smile.

after exchanging goodbyes, he places himself at akaashi's side, who prepares to leave town as soon as he's near.

akaashi rolls his eyes as bokuto mentions y/n with every step they take—though, realistically, he's glad things are back to normal.

"she _so_ wants me, man!" bokuto exclaims enthusiastically.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHH ok the next chapter is the neutral ending (which is what you’d end the fic on if u dont want to pick a LI ending) and i want it to be exactly how it should be so it might also undergo some 💪🏻💪🏻SERIOUS editing im gna try to get it done quick but also i want it to be right 👌🏻 so if i dont post a chapter early tmrrw morning thats why


	65. Chapter 65

oikawa hesitates, lifting a foot only to put it down again. it takes a shove from iwaizumi to cure his sticky soles.

in iwaizumi's eyes, oikawa deserves whatever is coming to him. to be honest, he thought it would be fairer if she didn't give him his heart back at all.

he and y/n hold eye contact as he approaches, both expressionless. they remain this way until they're inches apart, even extending it past that point. though, this endless stare-down isn't an intimidation tactic. it's merely because there's too much to be said, but too little nerve from both sides.

he zeroes in on the clear exhaustion in her features and wonders if he looks the same. her eyes are lidded and purpled, her cheeks droop around her mouth. the spirited expression she usually wore is lacking, but perhaps that's because _he's_ standing in front of her. she looks like hell, though one could only hope that the very person who put her through it would understand that.

taking one last look to make sure they're alone, he lowers his head, the brim of his hat shadowing his eyes. "y/n... i—" he starts, just to stop himself. with a breath, he continues, "if i... _did..._ tell you i was sorry... would you ever forgive me?" he asks quietly and slow, all the while positive what the answer will be. he needs to hear her say it, just to rid the question from his mind.

as soon as the words leave his mouth, a loud smack causes a stinging sensation to rise in his cheek. he lets out a surprised yelp under his breath, his head knocking sideways from the force.

he readjusts his hat in its place and quickly meets her eyes.

she glares at him from under her furrowed brow. the burning in her palm almost brings forth tears, but she hardly realizes through her mixture of emotions.

oikawa gawks, but her reaction wasn't completely unexpected. he's more shocked that she can hit someone that hard— are there _how-to-hit-oikawa_ classes or something?

"get some therapy." she spits, and at the same time grabs his collar to pull him closer. she places a gentle kiss over his reddened skin but pushes him away roughly enough to almost make him trip.

he's sent back in iwaizumi's direction before he can even comprehend what's happened. with a soothing palm over the welt on his face, he stands dumbfounded in his friend's gaze.

iwaizumi crosses his arms, lopping his head to the side. after a moment, he shrugs his shoulders. "well... she didn't say no."

with that, the two mount their horses and go off into the night. they disappear into the dark once they reach a certain distance, and y/n is left as the final person in the town plaza.

wait—

the final person in the town plaza?!

her pupils contract in panic. she frantically tugs on her limbs, hoping to rip the bullets out. when that doesn't work, she takes her free hand and digs into the holes again. she can feel the tiny, solid pieces inside the wall, but can't get a grip around them.

after a good struggle, her head finally droops in defeat.

yep, still stuck.

a bit of time passes, allowing her to acknowledge the strange feeling settling in. it has a somber undertone, but for a reason other than being helplessly strung out in the air until morning.

it's quiet. alone. nothing but the buzz of bugs under the streetlights and the chirp of toads by the river.

or maybe... she isn't so alone?

when she’s done rubbing her face in frustration, a black silhouette hobbling near catches her eye. she does a double-take, squinting in their direction.

"...hello?" she asks, slightly meek. seeing a gangly shadow approaching in her current state is a little unnerving.

for a moment, her mind almost tricks her into seeing _lev_ as the one heading towards her. it makes her heart ache some, and she notes the cruelty of the hallucination.

"y/n?" they finally respond. though their voice is weak and rough, it's immediately recognizable.

they _sound_ like lev, too. she concludes that she must be delirious from exhaustion, but there's a smidge of hope fluttering in her chest that she doesn't seem to notice.

soon, his body treads close enough for her to examine. he holds fabric to his shoulder, blood seeping through on the side that's visible to her. there's a bandage wrapped around his head as well, a red spot showing by his temple.

petrified by the sight of her walking-dead friend, y/n stills in a night-terroresque state. the advancing figure, on the other hand, musters up enough strength to run to her aid upon realizing she's trapped.

the world goes mute. she watches as he moves his able arm frantically in front of her, speaking words that she cannot hear.

suddenly, a large palm gracing her shoulder pulls her from her realm of shock. like knocking water out of her ears, the sound of his voice slowly rises in volume. her eyes trail down to the source of the touch, widening when they reach their destination.

his palm.

_lev's_ palm.

he exhales when her eyes fill with life once more. they scan over his features repeatedly, deviating from their previous straightforward stare.

"y/n! y/n, can you hear me?"

her breathing increases, springing up and down in her chest. when her hand makes contact with the skin on his face— so warm, so _alive_ — her eyes gloss over in an overwhelmingly jovial haze.

lev's a bit startled by the arbitrary action but gives in to it no less. he releases the bloodied fabric to cover her embracing hand with his own, leaning into her touch. "it's me, i'm here." he laughs, intertwining their fingers.

her expression goes soft, feeling a hot stream of tears run down her cheeks. "...it's really you?"

when he moves away to grab a wooden shard on the ground, she wastes no time to touch him again as soon as he returns.

"yes. it's really me, i promise," he assures her, leaning to pry the bullets out of the wall with his makeshift tool. her fingers don't miss any aspect of his features while he works— from caressing his cheeks, to running them through his hair.

it's really lev.

finally, he manages to pop out the last bullet, freeing her from its grasp. with no hesitation, she sprints to engulf him in a hug. burying into his chest, she wipes her tears on his shirt. "i was so...— i just—" she stutters before coming to a long pause. "don't ever do that again."

dipping his head down to make out her mumbling, he smiles. "actually, i already made plans to die again next week." he grinds his teeth when she stomps on his foot. "okay, okay! i won't!"

she lets out a content sigh, holding onto him a moment longer. she'd never been happier to hear one of his annoying, sarcastic comments before in her life.

* * *

after perhaps the longest day of their lives, the morning sun finally peeks its head into the sky, splaying out bright rays over the mountain path.

y/n tugs lev along as he groans dramatically. "y/nnn... my arm hurrtttsss..."

he wails, plopping down on her back with his torso. she almost folds under the weight, legs trembling as she struggles with the heavy-load. "ack! lev!"

her eyes roll when he howls and whines in response— extra loud this time. "you didn't even get shot! it just skimmed your shoulder!"

pausing mid-cry, he blinks. "... who told you that?"

"it was in the note sugawara had you give me."

'DEAR Y/N,

_lev is fine. the bullet barely touched him, so it definitely doesn't hurt as much as he says it does. he hit his head on a rock and gave himself a concussion when he fell though, so try to make sure he doesn't whine too much, and get him home as soon as possible._

_best of luck, suga & tadashi’_

lev's brow furrows, realizing that must've been why he was told not to look at it.

still, he continues, "but my head hurrttss..."

when he uses his entire hand to hold onto her face for support, she feels a vein protrude from her forehead. she stops dead in her tracks, glaring into his palm.

"hey, why'd we stop?"

y/n lets out a barbaric growl, clawing his hands away from her view. "that's it, get off!"

* * *

lev spent the next few days recuperating in the modest comfort of y/n's home. on the fifth day, y/n received a letter at her doorstep, left neatly centered in front of her door.

she brought it to her kitchen, cutting the envelope open with a knife. when her eyes finished scanning the note, she immediately ran to the bed to show lev.

a single, brief sentence was written in the middle of the paper.

_'the house is yours.'_

it lacked signature, but they both knew what it was referring to.

with reason, they feared it was a trick. so, they tossed it aside, remaining roommates for the time being.

though, tall oak is a small town, and word travels fast. during a produce run, y/n caught wind of the beythstown sheriff resigning, and she began to wonder.

upon asking around further, she found that nobody had seen or heard from oikawa in weeks. not him, iwaizumi, or any of his other friends.

she relayed the news to lev, who at first rejected the idea, but ultimately couldn't hide his interest in it.

eventually, they contacted daichi and kuroo, who agreed to checking the house out first— not without bokuto as their guide, of course.

within a week or two, the trio returned, pronouncing the house clear of any malicious intent.

so, when the time finally came, y/n and lev went out there themselves, finding everything exactly where it was since they last saw it.

with lev not having many belongings, the moving process was little to none— being reduced to simply deciding to live in the house.

after staying with him while he settled, y/n prepared to make her trip back home. despite lev's pleas for her to stay, she declined, insisting that she needed some time alone to think.

a couple of months have passed now. they still visit each other often, and they exchange letters in between.

every once in a while, the other boys visit her too, in the form of a passing thought.

she hasn't seen kuroo, daichi, oikawa, or bokuto since. occasionally, she'll meet eyes with ushijima while heading into town, but they don't speak.

she frequently finds herself wondering if she'll ever make connections with them again— the rowdy boys that gave her a taste for a life free of mundanity.

T H E E N D

thanks for reading!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (this chapter can be interpreted as a neutral ending. if you go on to choose one of the S/O endings, they will take place after the events of this chapter.)
> 
> ik yall didnt think lev was dead fr !!!!!! ahah i would never do that to u guys OR lev 😤
> 
> but anyway, this really do be the ending of the main story doe :,) i just wanna thank u guys for making this fun for me. i loved writing this fic and ur guys support rlly kept me motivated to post all of it and i’ll prolly never forget it aha 💕💕💕 
> 
> on the topic of endings: i PROMISE y/n will be happy no matter what ending u choose, and so will their S/O 💕💕 ik some endings might seem out of the question (*cough* oikawa 😳) but i have plans for each of them so that they’ll hopefully be satisfactory to everyone. 
> 
> this can be considered lev’s platonic ending as well, unless u want to pick his LI ending afterwards ;)))) hehehe
> 
> and finally, THANK U !!! to anyone who made it this far. i admire ur strength 💪🏻💪🏻 i also want to give credit to my sister who helped me come up with this monstrosity. she doesnt have an ao3 acc, but i want to do it anyway 🤠


	66. USHIJIMA ENDING

as everything else in y/n’s life went back to normal, so did her immense efforts in keeping food on the table.

living down the road from ushijima had its perks, and as per usual, she found herself snatching a few cobs here and there— not as many as before, but enough when she needed it.

she hoped to eventually rid of her thieving ways, but the garden she'd been trying to grow behind her house consisted of shriveled leaves and wilted sprouts. turned out she understood flowers well, not so much vegetables.

though, she soon realized that ushijima caught onto her struggle. entering a routine of every few days, a sack of corn would be left on her doorstep. unfortunately, he made these visits in the early morning, too early for y/n to catch him in the act. this upset her, as she would've preferred to express her gratitude to him— instead, he'd rather disappear into the morning mist without a word.

like a corn santa, if you will.

this went on for quite some time, until y/n decided that she would wake up at a dreadful hour to thank him for his thoughtfulness.

why not just stop at his house and question him, you ask?

because even if he did own up to it, it wouldn't be as gratifying as seeing the surprise on his face. which, with ushijima, was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

* * *

after prying her eyelids open for hours, the sound of shuffling beyond her door catches her ear.

like a splash of cold water to her face, it wakes her up immediately. securing the blanket around her shoulders with one hand, she yanks the door open with the other. the haste pushes her hair back with a gust of wind, flowing through the blanket before settling.

outside, ushijima stands hunched over, placing the expected. a barely illuminated, baby-blue backdrop makes it so that his figure is just visible, along with the shock on his features.

his mouth drops partially agape, his pupils contracting inside the exposed whites of his eyes— it actually isn't as animated as y/n thought it'd be, but its better than nothing.

straightening his torso to his true height, he stares down at her. "i..." promptly, he shuts his mouth and lowers his brow, returning to his usual stoic state. "hello,” he greets casually.

the corners of y/n's lips pull up slowly. "hello."

his eyes trail towards the sight of the rising sun, straying from her gaze. "what are you doing... awake?" he clears his throat, turning to her again once he's brave enough. "this... is... the farmer's hour."

she notes his growth in vocabulary and sentence structuring. it's much better than before, even if it's still slightly rough around the edges.

"i wanted to know why you’ve been avoiding me," she asks, crossing her arms underneath her blanket. her head lops to the side and sends him a pondering expression.

ushijima's body goes rigid. "i... well..." he starts, “i didn’t want to... but... i was told that... i am hard to talk to. so i was trying to... get better, to make it easier for you...” he attempts to hide it by turning his head, but she can see the splatters of pink on his cheeks clear as day.

it feels like a cinderblock falls onto y/n’s neck.

"ah, ushijima, i'm so sorry!" she jumps back in shock, sending the blanket flying off her body. "i didn't mean— i didn't know! i'm sorry!"

blankly, ushijima watches her frantically apologize. he then nods solemnly. "it is okay."

"i feel terrible..." she hides in her palms, shaking her head. "b-but if it makes you feel any better, i think you’re doing really well!”

as those words leave her mouth, something prods at her brain. her hands fall, and she raises her head with a look that makes ushijima shift uncomfortably. "wait... you’re doing that _for me?_ ”

an awkward pause follows.

as if he wasn't red enough before, an even brighter shade spreads through his entire face. he clears his throat. "hm,” a grunt escapes. "i am... embarrassed."

* * *

since that destined interaction between the two, ushijima was no longer afraid of speaking to y/n— which, in itself, was a bit strange, as it was unusual for him to worry about what others thought.

instead of avoiding her, he found himself striking up conversations when stopping by. some might’ve considered them short and shallow, but they brought a joy to him that he couldn't say he ever experienced before. well, maybe except for when he had a good harvest season, like, a _really_ good one.

as they grew closer, y/n wasted no time in inviting him over as often as she could.

she'd cook meals for him (luckily, ushijima wasn't a picky man) with what he provided, and assisted with his vocabulary when asked. during this time, she learned that he never had a chance to attend a school. he didn't have many friends either, so there wasn’t much desire to learn more than what he needed to get by— that was, until he met y/n.

eventually, it became normal for ushijima to visit her home daily.

he'd mostly help around the house, such as clean and repair things. when he saw the state of her garden, he almost fell over dead. he insisted they fix it, and that they did. with ushijima's help, y/n's garden was nursed back to health in no time.

although, he didn't really have much of a knack for growing anything other than corn, so that was something they had to learn together.

as days went by, they couldn't help but notice something blossoming between them. this bud soon took the shape of a rose, its roots entangling tightly around their hearts. with patience, its petals grew a red so deep that it almost dripped from the source.

of course, this pigment didn’t start out so vibrant— it was a result of a slow but constant nurturing. in order for the rose to thrive, it needed attention from both sides, as it rooted in two.

the rose hasn’t stopped flourishing since.

* * *

"ushijima! have you seen my comb?" y/n calls through the house as her hands pick through each of the boxes.

she repeatedly scans over her small jumble of belongings. "ushijima!" again, she echoes through the halls upon not hearing a response.

"did you see if... tendou has it?" ushijima finally answers from the second story, currently in the midst of moving the bed into one of the larger rooms.

"tendou...?" y/n blinks, cocking her head in thought.

ushijima overhears her mutter. "he likes things that are... shiny." his disembodied voice emerges from the top of the staircase before the sound of the bed frame scratching the wall follows.

as he lets out a monotonous curse, y/n glances around. she's well acquainted with ushijima's home by now, so she figures tendou shouldn't be too hard to find.

peering into each room carefully, it doesn't take long for her to locate the culprit. she gasps at the sight of tendou in the dining room, her comb in hand. "tendou!" she scolds.

looking at her through the mirror on the wall, the comb stops halfway in his hair. the corners of his mouth perk up just barely, and y/n tenses. she knows that look.

"tendou, no! give that back—!" she's cut off as the lanky man hurdles the dining table and slips past her under the archway. "hey!"

he does rounds through the home with inhuman athleticism, kicking off the walls and eventually bounding up the stairs on all fours.

trailing behind, y/n heaves as she attempts to follow. "s-...stop...!" beyond her field of vision, she hears a sudden build-up of what sounds to be a wrestling match.

when the noises cease, heavy footsteps steadily make their way to the top step. ushijima looks down at her blankly, his hair ruffled and a hand-shaped welt glowing on his face, but most importantly, he has her comb. he holds it out, offering it to her.

a beaming smile plasters on her features, and she climbs the final few stairs to reach his level. “thank you, tendou-wrangler.” plucking the object from his hand gratefully, she plants a kiss on his unaffected cheek. "love you.”

as if it's his first time hearing her say it, his skin tints, almost matching the welt. his gaze shifts away. "i'm going to... finish moving our bed."

she rolls her eyes, giggling. he's always been better at expressing affection with actions rather than words.

clearing her lovesick mind, y/n clasps her hands together. "i'll help!" she chirps eagerly.

T H E E N D

thanks for reading!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ushijima stans i hope this is enough to make amends after how wrong i did him in this fic LMAO 🤝
> 
> also after this ending i cant say how routinely the next endings will be posted, as some of them still arent finished. sorry abt that !!!


	67. BOKUTO ENDING

y/n strolls into tall oak, a woven basket at her wrist. it swings rhythmically with her strides as she heads for the fruit stand, waving hello to the vendor as she advances.

"good morning!" the woman chirps, "what'll it be today?"

"two apples and..." y/n's voice trails off, her finger swirling in the air as it decides what to land on, "a pear, please." she gestures to the produce, then opens her palm to recount the small amount of money she’d gathered.

with a nod, the shopkeeper turns and grabs the foods, placing them on the counter in front of y/n for inspection. water droplets fall from the items onto the wood, glistening in the sun.

"are these okay?" she dries her hands off on the apron around her waist.

y/n takes an apple into her hand, rotating it to search for any rotten spots. "yes," she hums, "these are f—" when her eyes flit back up to the woman, she notices a piece of paper hanging from the stand that catches her attention.

on the flier, a poorly drawn figure sits lopsided in the middle, the lines rough and deep. at the top reads the words: 'I AM AN ASASIN' accompanied by the smaller text on the bottom, 'HIGHER ME'.

there are no means of contact provided on the paper, only a name and a face drawn with a smile that takes up half of the page.

a face that is all too recognizable to y/n.

"ma'am?" the shopkeeper's brows knead at y/n's distracted, gawking expression.

the apple falls from her grasp, plopping off the countertop and rolling in the dirt. she glances back and forth between the woman and the flier, stuttering. "i'll— i-i have to go—" she says before ripping the paper from its hold.

the shopkeeper's palms drop on the counter as she watches y/n flee. "m-ma'am! your basket!" she holds out the object she'd left behind, only to receive no response.

y/n runs through town, eyes darting around anxiously. much to her dismay, she finds a trail of the same flier plastered to buildings and posts.

she quickly hunts down each paper, dodging carts, horses, and people as she does so. every single one she rips from the nail its hanging from.

a pile bunches up in her hands as she follows the trail out of town, all the way towards a lone tree by a neighborhood. there’s a silhouette in the shade of the leaves, sticking another ad to the trunk.

audibly wheezing, y/n takes multiple stops to catch her breath before approaching them, resting her hands on her knees. "b—" she coughs. "bokuto!"

bokuto's golden irises turn in her direction, glimmering like the sun despite seeing her in such a hunched over, dry-heaving state. "y-y/n!" his breathing visibly heightens in his chest, a wide, open-mouth smile spreading instantly.

"just a minute...—" she raises a finger that's crushed when he lifts her into his arms tightly, spinning her in the air. "—AGH!"

lowering her more gently, he places his hands on his hips. "what are you doing here?!"

"bokuto, i live here," she straightens, "also, you can't keep posting these." she raises the handful of papers she's collected from the streets.

his head cocks to the side, arms falling stiffly. "what? why not?" he questions, tone laced with disappointment.

with an exhausted look, she smacks her hand loudly over her mouth, dragging it down as she sighs. "you're an assassin! that's illegal!"

"illegal?" bokuto's eyebrows raise, his mouth slowly dropping into an 'O' shape. "oohh..." he glances to the paper he just placed, quickly crumpling it up and throwing it over his shoulder. then, a second passes, and his face hollows. "w-wait," his voice shakes, "but i've been putting those up _everywhere_..."

y/n stares blankly. "you're kidding."

a bead of sweat trickles down his cheek as he touches his index fingers together nervously. his hair seems to fall flat around the edges as well.

a vein protrudes from her forehead and she lets out a vicious growl, angrily tearing her pile to shreds above her head. "RAGHH!! HOW COULD YOU HAVE MADE SO MANY OF THESE?!"

* * *

of course, with nothing better to do, y/n agreed to help bokuto— as long as he agreed to find a new profession. they were going to tear down every last page, no matter how many there were.

though, after discussing the vast locations he'd visited last, they realized they were going to need some help.

akaashi wasn't hard to convince. upon hearing the troubled situation bokuto had gotten himself into, he quickly obliged— not sparing any scoldings or eye rolls, unfortunately.

but even with their band of three, they sadly concluded that their mission would still take ages.

thankfully, y/n had a plan.

outside the large, familiar home, y/n's knuckles tear through the mist and knock against the wooden door.

it takes a moment for footsteps to be heard on the other side. the latch clicks and the door opens halfway for a tall, slim figure to peek through.

"hey, lev." y/n smiles, hands folded behind her back.

"y/n!" lev's squinty eyes widen and he opens the door further, revealing his sleep attire and messy hair.

their cheerful meeting is only brief. he catches sight of the two men standing behind her, a frown tightening on his lips when bokuto waves meekly, lifting akaashi's hand to do the same.

"oh, no. no, no, no—" he shakes his head and goes to close the door again. y/n sticks her arm out, struggling to hold it open against his force. "c'mon, lev! pleeeaasee! please, please, ple—"

long story short, lev agreed to help bokuto.

* * *

the four embark on a journey across the country; a treasure hunt for bokuto's mistakes. they visit many different states, and while the main goal is to dispose of the fliers, they can't help but have a little fun.

they ride their horses up to the small, sandy city of cactus flower— their fifth stop so far.

while dismounting, bokuto reveals that the city is his hometown. he can't wait to show the group around, knowing every nook and cranny like the back of his hand. after hitching their horses to a post by the river, he wastes no time in ushering them to the front gate.

once inside the walls, y/n and lev gawk at the colorful architecture— the tall, sandstone buildings are laced with bright fabrics, and flames flicker in lanterns of dyed glass. they couldn't wait to see what this place would look like come nightfall.

bokuto takes them on a tour, enthusiastically showing off the best things the city has to offer, even if it _is_ just a scheme to see y/n's face light up.

she doesn't notice, but his gaze always subtly drifts to her, catching her in her candid state. whether it be her reaction to food, fabric, a view— he found the joy on her features more intriguing than any of those things.

during this time, they still collect any papers they come across. at the point that no more can be found, it's close to sundown.

they settle at an inn for the night, occupying side-by-side rooms in the corridor.

while y/n is untucking her bedsheets, she hears a faint knock on her door. she raises a brow, unable to come up with a reason why somebody would be at her room already. they only separated ten minutes ago.

when she meets her visitor, her head cocks to the side. "bokuto?"

bokuto stands in the hallway, muscles stiffening when he sees her. she notes the handfuls of napkins stuffed beneath his arms.

...why is he sweating so badly?

"is everything okay?"

he stares for a moment, his bottom lip tucked between his teeth. after a tight inhale, he begins, "no." his eyes widen immediately, making somewhat of an inhuman gargle. "— i mean, _yes_. everything is fine."

"...what?"

loosening up, he lets out a long, slow breath. "uh... i was just wondering if you wanted to go on a ride together?" he goes silent, then motions to the sunset in the window behind her. "before it gets dark."

her brows raise. she was positive that he would've been worn out after today, but she should've known better. even though she's a little tired herself, it's their final hours in cactus flower, so she figures one last sightseeing trip couldn't hurt. "oh! sure, just—uh, let me grab my jacket..."

his heart thumps at her acceptance, face falling slightly while she momentarily disappears behind the door, staring at the solid object with wide, panicked eyes. when she's in view again, he smiles from ear-to-ear. "ready?"

"ready!" y/n's smile is quickly replaced with confusion when they walk past lev and akaashi's doors. "what about these two?"

bokuto stops in his tracks. without turning around, he mumbles, "i was planning on it just being us." he looks over his shoulder, his eye meeting hers. "is that... alright?"

after processing his words, y/n's cheeks start to burn. she looks away, rubbing a hand over her neck. "oh. yeah, that's fine..."

the walk to the horses is strangely quiet.

at the hitch, they tack up together, only breaking the silence once they're mounted. "so, where are we headed?" y/n pulls her horse to a stop beside his.

swinging his leg over the saddle, he pats his horse's neck. "somewhere special.”

she clucks onward behind him, watching as they step onto a thin, desert trail. when he doesn't elaborate, she laughs. "... are you going to make me guess why?"

he spins his torso around, resting a hand on his horse's spotted croup. "you won't be able to!" he exclaims with a challenging grin.

sending him a playful eye-roll, she begins loudly announcing her ridiculous guesses, to which he shoots down each immediately.

they continue like this for some time, weaving through cacti and rocks until they reach a dry forest.

y/n quiets as they're encased in a tunnel of foliage, the trail growing darker from the lack of sun. "is this place going to be scary?"

bokuto laughs. "we're almost there!"

pushing his lack of reassurance aside, she follows him deeper into the woods. soon, an opening becomes visible up ahead, the sun's orange rays shining through it.

knocking a few stray vines and brush away, bokuto helps y/n slip through to the other side.

when she and her horse emerge, her eyes light up, a short gasp leaving her lips.

hopping down, she heads toward the edge of the arrowhead-shaped cliff. with the darkening atmosphere, cactus flower shimmers colorfully in the distance, the rainbow lights even dancing against the sky above it.

"oh, bokuto! that's so cool!" she chirps, listening closely for the faint sounds of the locals' music.

he walks to her side, hands in either pocket. he doesn't speak for a while, and y/n starts to feel uneasy.

turning her head slightly, she creases her brow. "hey... is something wrong?" her lips purse, the excitement from before fading. "you've been acting kind of... different... today."

bokuto's shoulders go rigid for a moment. he meets her concerned gaze, sending a weak smile in return. "oh," he laughs, "i'm fine. just nervous, i guess."

y/n watches the playful crinkle of his sun-kissed nose, but doesn't break her stare. "nervous?" she asks softly. now she's really worried— what bad news does he have for her?

with a click of his tongue, he looks down to his boots, a gentle pull to his lips. "y/n, i'm really glad you're here with me— i make stupid mistakes, i know. it scares a lot of people away, even akaashi sometimes—" he pauses, chewing his cheek sadly while remembering the business departure of his friend. "but... it's never scared you away... and i appreciate it."

y/n blanks at the unprompted announcement of gratitude. "well... you've always helped me, so it's the least i can do, isn't it?"

he chuckles quietly in response.

she perks a brow, but it falls when he turns to her. reaching out, he encases her hands in his larger, calloused ones.

"b-bo—?"

"y/n, i, uh—" he clears his throat, mentally cursing himself for stuttering. "to be honest, i don't ever want to _stop_ making stupid mistakes... but i don't want to make them alone, either."

stunned, she waits for him to continue.

"and i think we were made for getting each other out of trouble."

she shakes her head, her brow low. "w-what? what are you saying?"

he swallows hard, closing his eyes for a recomposing second. removing one hand to dig into his pocket, he kneels in front of her. "...that i want to spend the rest of my life with you."

her throat tightens as she watches him pull a small box from his pants, a watering sensation filling her eyes. "bokuto—" she attempts to speak, but it comes out as a croak.

he opens the box to reveal a ring, and she lifts a hand to cover her mouth.

"will you be my wife? ... for real this time?”

the tears start to fall. she squeezes her eyes shut to stop it, moving her hand from her mouth to rub them away.

his chest hammers when she nods her head repeatedly, a smile slowly but surely spreading on his face.

"yes."

he freezes for a moment as if questioning reality. then, jumping up, he grabs her into a hug. she squeals as he lets out loud whoops by her ear.

when he lowers her, he places a palm on either of her cheeks, crashing their lips together.

pulling away, she bounces on her toes. "we're going to get married!" she laughs giddily. "what the heck!?"

he responds with another kiss.

and another.

and another.

soon, there's not a spot of skin on her face left untouched.

they stare at each other fondly, still trying to accept that what just happened wasn't a dream.

then, she notices a distinct spark in his eye, one that she knows all too well.

the corner of his mouth curls. "race you back!"

he scurries to his mount before she can react, giving him at least a five-second head start. "hey!" she yells, sprinting for her own.

together, they whip and weave through the terrain, their laughter and playful taunts carrying in the soft, desert breeze.

* * *

a year has passed since the debut of their hunt, which eventually came to a bittersweet end. once bokuto’s name was cleared off the streets, he kept up his end of the bargain, and promptly began looking for a new job.

when they returned home, he and y/n wasted no time in officially tying the knot. the ceremony was held at a serene lakeside, beneath a starry, night sky— though, the event was anything but serene. after he had a few drinks in him, bokuto was unstoppable. he jumped into the lake three times.

y/n took this opportunity to meet bokuto’s family, which was definitely something she’d never forget (hint: they’re all just as obnoxious as he is).

lev and akaashi were both the best man, of course. lev only cried a little bit.

after the celebratory period died down, it was time to settle. except, they realized they were having a hard time deciding on how to do it.

bokuto wanted to see the world.

y/n wanted a place to call home.

so, they met in the middle.

they bought a small farmhouse near tall oak, a place to stay during the summer— a place they could always go back to. then, whenever summer's end peaks around the corner, they pack their bags and leave, finding new trouble to get into.

they plan on repeating this cycle until they can’t anymore, happily remaining partners in crime for the rest of their days.

T H E E N D

thanks for reading!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pffftttt is this the hallmark channel? 😳😳lmao but the simp king finally bagged the baddest of them all 🙏🏻🙏🏻✨ 
> 
> anyway i was going to post all the endings in order but it was just taking wayyy too long 😭😭😭 im still planning out daichi’s and this one was just sitting in the drafts so i was like screw it 😀 alsooo just wanna say im soooo sorry that these r taking forever 🧎🧎🧎 im just literally a perfectionist to the point that even when i do post them im still not happy with them LMAO but regardless i still be trying so thats why it takes a few days 😔


	68. DAICHI ENDING

y/n stumbles out of bed and into her kitchen. grabbing the bowl of peanuts she took from the saloon, she begins munching on her first meal of the day.

while breaking open one of the salty shells, she jumps at the sound of a knock on her door.

when she goes to meet her visitor, she's surprised to see a young boy.

"uh—may i help you?" she mutters in her low morning voice.

he nods, reaching into his bag and pulling out an envelope. "got mail for ya'!"

slightly confused, she plucks the object from his hand, sending him off with thanks.

with her back to the door, she pries the seal open, sticking her fingers inside. she pulls a folded paper out, which appears to be an ad for a job.

_'HELP WANTED_

_assembling a cattle driving team, cowboys wanted_

_please turn this paper in to the marked booth at the tall oak animal trade.'_

y/n's brow lowers. that's strange, who could've sent this? surely, it was just a mistake, she thinks.

but then again, what if it wasn't?

she chews her lip, reading the lines once more.

if there _is_ someone out there interested in hiring her, maybe it's worth checking out.

* * *

y/n walks up to the animal trade outside of town. there's a path she sticks to in the middle, the surrounding fences containing a variety of animals: sheep, cattle, chickens— anything the locals wanted to sell could be found here.

beyond the handlers herding and separating their stock, there's a seemingly empty booth she heads for on the end.

she double-checks to make sure it's the right one, feeling her shoulders slump when she realizes that it is.

there's no sign of anybody near, and she begins to worry that this was all some mean-spirited joke.

then, a familiar face emerging from the stable catches her eye.

pulling one of the thick gloves from his hands, daichi scratches the back of his head. his gaze remains on the ground as he treads in her direction.

her eyes widen, the grip on the paper in her hands tightening. "...d-daichi?"

he stops immediately at the sound of her voice. glancing up, he gives a warm smile after confirming that his ears hadn't deceived him. "y/n!"

closing the gap between them with a jog, he stands in front of her. "you got the letter!" he exclaims, then rolls his eyes at himself. "oh, i'm so sorry. how long were you waiting? i had to help somebody move their pigs."

stunned, y/n's hands drop to her sides. " _you_ sent the letter?"

he wipes a bit of dirt from his brow. "i did! i sent one to everybody— we were waiting on you.”

"everybody?" she squints, watching as he goes to sit on the countertop of the booth.

"yup. the whole gang." he pats the boards for her to sit next to him. "we're going for a fresh start—" he motions to the blank space in front of him, emphasizing his vision. "a real job!"

taking a seat, she continues staring at him with a puzzled look. "b-but, the bounty hunters?"

"ah," he nods, remembering what he hasn't told her yet. "a couple of weeks after... well, _y'know_ —" he refers to the witch hunt. "we got a letter from oikawa. there was a note inside that said all of our fines were paid off. now, i don't know why he would do something like that, but i'm not complaining." he laughs with a shrug.

she peers down at the dirt beneath her hanging feet, chewing her cheek. when she looks back up at him, he's taken aback by her irritated expression.

"so... was this a joke between you guys? to see how gullible i was?"

daichi flinches, putting his hands up in protest. "no! no!" his torso turns to her slightly. "i genuinely want you to come along— with pay, of course!"

her face softens, mouth parting some. she looks back down to the ad again, and he smiles.

"so, whaddya say, cowgirl?"

* * *

unable to pass up the gracious offer, y/n accepted, which gave daichi the green-light to reunite karasuno— this time, for a different reason.

luckily, their first job was with someone in the area, so there wasn't much traveling involved.

stepping up to the ranch, equipped with just a half-empty satchel over her arm, y/n tenses anxiously.

she freezes underneath the sign, a gust of wind blowing through her dress and lifting the dirt. the hand resting on the satchel strap closes tightly, wrinkling up the leather.

she's a little scared.

to be fair though, she's never had a job before. so naturally, her thoughts are bombarded with 'what ifs', a few of which being: 'what if i forgot how to ride?’, 'what if i mess up?', or, perhaps the worst of them all, 'what if i make a fool of myself in front of daichi?'

then, she feels something drop onto her shoulder. jumping away, she turns around to see the man himself, a worried look on his face.

"oh! sorry, didn't mean to scare you." daichi laughs softly, lowering his hand. "were you waiting for me or something?"

he teases, but she figures that's a better reason to be standing like a weirdo at the gate. "uh... yeah."

suddenly, his face goes blank. staring at her with tight lips, he blinks a few times. "o-oh. well, that's... nice of you." he smiles, and she returns it sweetly.

after a painfully awkward moment, the duo treads onwards, making their way for the ranch house.

through the swirling dust-clouds, y/n sees a gathering of figures standing outside the building. immediately, she realizes who they are as they approach with loud greetings.

"she's here!" tanaka calls, pushing by the others.

"let me see! let me see!" nishinoya and hinata attempt to make their way to the front— though, hinata's efforts are cut short, as an accidental brush to kageyama's boot lands him a punch to the head.

"watch it, you little idiot!" he scolds as hinata falls plank-like to the dirt, unconscious.

daichi raises two hands, gesturing for them to tone it down. "guys, guys! you're embarrassing me—!"

he stops when he feels y/n's hand on his bicep. "daichi, it's okay." she laughs, then gives everybody a short nod. "it's been a while, hasn't it?"

sugawara, who distanced himself from the chaos, flashes her a pearly grin, crossing his arms over his chest. "it has. we're glad you'll be sticking around a bit longer this time."

* * *

the goal was to drive the ranch owner's cattle to the sale, which was a journey worth preparing for.

before setting off, daichi instantly took note of the impracticality of y/n's attire. with the group's extra clothing, he managed to put together an outfit for her, one fit for a cowgirl.

it was a bit mismatched; with the tasseled chaps a lighter leather than her hat, and the patterns on her boots didn't exactly correlate with her button-up, but that didn't stop her from loving it.

while the boys already had an established mount, y/n was given one from the barn— a ranchy bay named cricket, and eventually, after securing the last of the blankets and saddlebags, they were ready to depart.

* * *

locating the cows is the easy part.

nobody really had any driving experience except for daichi, so the first couple of days are quite the test for the team.

as they mosey across the vast plains, the reddened grasses flattening beneath the migration, the group stays in their given positions.

y/n and daichi trek on the left side, sugawara and tadashi to the right, nishinoya and tanaka in the back, and kageyama and hinata leading.

their slow, steady pace has been no easy feat with these rookies. they already had two stampeding disasters so far, so whenever the herd starts picking up speed unannounced, daichi grows a bit frustrated.

"hey—" he watches as the cows break into a trot. "what's happening in the back?"

y/n and him exchange a worried glance, and they cluck onward to keep pace. "HEY! SLOW DOWN BEHIND!" he twists his torso and cups his mouth.

the silhouette of nishinoya fights his rowdy mount to a stop, shouting back, "we’re trying! tanaka's horse is acting up again!"

bounding to the left sharply, tanaka comes into view. his horse has its head between its legs as it hops over the flat ground, tearing up the terrain.

when he finally takes a blow from the saddle horn and tumbles off, nishinoya cackles and points, watching his friend's head reappear in the tall grass. tanaka sends him a crude hand gesture while his horse continues bucking away, shrinking in the distance.

daichi rolls his eyes, letting out an exasperated huff. "stop! stop the herd!" he calls to everybody, who gets in formation to cease the drive.

without saying, he rides off to retrieve the bronc, leaving the remaining riders to guard the idle stock.

looking up at the sky, sugawara sighs as he runs a hand down his face. "hey, guys, let's just set up camp for the night. it's getting dark anyway."

at suga's word, the tired group leaves the herd to graze, setting up a bonfire nearby.

everyone breaks out food to prepare at the fire, some sitting beside it and some lingering a few feet away to eat.

by the time y/n gets her fill, the sky has nearly gone black. she realizes daichi still hasn't returned and stands to scan around. when she spots another flickering orange in the distance, one of her brows perk.

"is that daichi's fire? why's he all the way over there?"

tadashi stops slurping on his can of beans, taking a quick look in the direction she's referring to. "i guess he's keeping watch on that side?" he slurs through full cheeks.

"...alone?" she mumbles to herself thoughtfully.

grabbing her hat out of the dirt, she goes to mount cricket, picking up a lope towards the light.

she slows upon the dry section of biome, the figure sitting by the fire becoming more recognizable. two horses rest close by, tanaka’s and daichi's.

"daichi?" she calls, dismounting.

his head whips around, eyebrows raising. "y/n? what are you doing?" he questions, surprised.

"i came to ask you the same thing." she steps further, taking a seat beside him. "why are you out here alone?"

slowly breaking away from her stare, daichi's gaze lands back on the flames. "ponying a horse slows you down a bit— especially tanaka's _donkey_." he motions with his head in the direction of the defiant, dark horse. "better to just wait 'til morning."

"hm," y/n starts, "do you mind if i keep you company?"

daichi's mouth parts in thought. "wouldn't you rather hang out with the group?"

y/n sticks her nose in the air, making it clear that she's already made her decision. "nope!”

he gives her a half-smile, brow slightly raised. then, he laughs, peering up at the full moon.

silently, she does the same, tracing the craters with her eyes.

a bit of deja vu strikes him. the scene of the two sitting alone together, basking in the moonlight — it feels all too familiar, but he's glad that he's able to go back to that moment, even if just briefly.

"this reminds me of that one night. the one before...—"

her iris flits to the side. "before the camp was ransacked."

"...how did you know?" he purses his lips.

y/n explains her and lev's return to the site after she got lost. "and you were gone. everybody was gone." she exhales through her nose. a crease forms on her forehead as she recalls the events, raking her bottom lip in. “can i tell you something?”

she looks to him hesitantly, but there’s something reassuring about his presence.

“... when i realized you were no where to be found, it hurt. a lot. and now that i think about it, if none of that ever happened, i probably would’ve never left.”

with a lowered brow, daichi squints down at the fire again, the burning sticks crumbling and shifting. it crackles while he strings words together in his head. "well, i’m here now— won't you stay this time?" he mutters. "i know it's been a rough couple of days, and you're probably thinkin’ about hauling it as soon as you can.” his laughter is bittersweet and soon followed by the tightening of a frown. "...but i don't want you to go."

he rests his elbows on his knees, dropping his chin to his forearms. "if anything... i want you to stay for as long as possible." he adds quietly.

y/n studies his profile. with his mouth buried into his sleeve and his stern gaze in the dirt, the dark tones of his eyes seem to harden.

just as he inhales in preparation to apologize for saying such things, y/n smiles softly.

"who said i was ever planning on leaving again?"

* * *

the morning after, y/n and daichi reconnected with the group, continuing the cattle drive.

they eventually reached the halfway point of their trip, a winding trail between mountains with an incredible, snowy view. they also spotted a few wild horses while passing through, who lifted their heads to watch them as well.

there were plenty of mistakes still made, but those mistakes made for good memories and campfire stories. as they all grew stronger as a team— and as friends— y/n grew particularly close with daichi.

undeniably, there was something between them, there always has been. the rest of karasuno could see it, especially by how often they snuck off together just to be alone.

it almost made them frustrated, watching the wasted potential between the two.

so, when they met their destination— an auction ring in westworth— and daichi brought y/n to the side to finally proclaim his feelings, the group broke out in celebratory roughhousing, howling and tossing their hats. a few of them even bet money on who would confess first.

to this day, they still work together, driving cattle year-round with their booked schedule.

in the past, daichi and y/n were frequently torn apart against their wills, as if the universe always had other ideas.

though, it seems that in the end, they won— or perhaps this was the universe's plan all along?

T H E E N D

thanks for reading!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHHH SORRRYYYY ITS BEEN SO LONGGGG AUGUGUGJFAUSHAAAAHH HNNGGHH 🦍🦍🦍 
> 
> but really. hello. whats it been, a week and half? more? smh im better than that 🗣🗣BAD ANNA !!! BAD ‼️❌👎🏻👎🏻
> 
> anyway, daichi stans 🤝 its been a pleasure. i think oikawa’s is up next— his endings almost finished. itll probably be a holiday one unless i change my mind abt it last minute lol but thats what its looking like.
> 
> but yea. until next time friends!! hopefully sooner !! 🕺✨


	69. OIKAWA ENDING

get some therapy. get some therapy. _get_ _some therapy._

those words replayed in oikawa's mind for months, until one day he finally asked himself:

what the heck is a therapy?

* * *

oikawa stands hesitantly outside the shrink's office, hand lingering on the doorknob. he stares at the lopsided sign on the window, a downwards pull to his lips.

it's his third day coming in now and he still feels like no progress has been made. why is he even doing this again?

taking a defeated inhale, he pops the door open with the ring of a bell. walking over to the counter, he asks the receptionist to sign him in and grabs a newspaper. when that's dealt with, he turns to the waiting room behind him, a slump to his shoulders.

he expects the furniture to be empty as usual, allowing him to deal with his humiliation alone. for the most part, he's correct, every seat is empty— except for one wooden chair in the corner.

the flimsy paper falls from his grip, splaying out on the floorboards. the only visible reaction he has for a moment is his eyebrows shooting up. then, his mouth parts, a low exhale pushing through.

"...y/n."

* * *

during the first few weeks, they didn't talk much. even sitting near each other was out of the question, and for a long, long time, y/n settled on completely ignoring oikawa's existence.

which was fine, since oikawa usually had some way to entertain himself— whether it be a book, the morning paper, or making plans for the week. he'd been alone in the waiting room before, and he didn't care about what she did.

well, at least he _thought_ he didn't care.

eventually, he snuck a few curious glances, which soon led to accidental eye-contact. they brushed it off immediately, maybe scowling to themselves afterwards. to them, it was a meaningless mistake, but really, this was the first domino to fall.

after that, they gradually began to inch closer. it started with a lean, then an entire seat. whether it was an act of the subconscious or an unseen force, who knows? all they knew was that instead of eight chairs apart, they sat four, and for some reason, they were okay with it.

with proximity came the inevitable small talk. it was little things, such as "how are you?" or "it's hot today." oikawa tried breaking the silence more often than y/n did at first, but the attempts were ultimately made from both sides.

once the rude remarks that these comments prompted were replaced with soft, hidden smiles, there was no going back.

as proof of the forgiveness of time, their relationship slowly healed. they gave in to the gravitational pull wanting to bring them together, now sitting side by side; shoulder to shoulder. conversation began to feel natural again.

by no means would they audibly consider one another friends yet, but they were enjoying each other's company.

with one leg resting atop the other, oikawa loudly unwraps the newspaper in his hands. he studies it in silence before humming to himself in thought. folding the paper in half, he leans over to y/n, holding it out with one hand and pointing to an advert with the opposite. "look here."

y/n glances to where he directs, eyes landing on an ad for a holiday festival in tall oak.

"that'll be fun, don't you think?" he pulls the object away, looking at it once more.

"i've never been to one." she shrugs, pursing her lips. sure, she knew the festivals were held yearly, but she never had warm enough clothes to withstand the cold for that long. so, she just skipped out on them.

oikawa turns his upper body her way, gawking in disbelief. "you've never been? you're kidding!"

she shakes her head. "i don't have winter clothes."

he eyes the torn up and tattered cardigan wrapped around her shoulders, the thin fabric hardly any warmer than the paper in his hands. resting back down in his seat, he taps her on the arm with the newspaper. "i'll buy you some."

y/n's head juts back in surprise before sporting an eye roll. "oh, oikawa...—" she attempts to decline, knowing all too well where this road leads.

"come on, they're lots of fun! i'll get you something cozy— and we'll go together."

she pauses, her eyes widening softly. he wants to go together?

"uh... is that okay?" he asks after a moment, his voice slightly gentler than before.

her lips separate just barely as she inspects his features for an answer— she couldn't forget that he was quite the actor, and his genuine demeanor might very well be another one of his performances.

though, this time, something is different about him. there's a different kind of glimmer in his eye, a different sort of kindness to his stare. his genuineness seems... well, just that. genuine.

she sends him a smile, averting her gaze to the floor. "that... does sound okay, actually."

* * *

on the day of the event, y/n waits nervously inside her home, the attire they'd bought together draping over her body.

of course, he generously offered to buy her an entire set. the outfit is beautiful, consisting of a warm, woolen dress, a matching shawl for her shoulders, and a pair of fuzzy boots.

she definitely won't be cold.

there's a knock on the door and she takes but a second to open it. the cold air immediately flies inside, whipping through her dress and leaving a sting to her cheeks.

oikawa stands on her doorstep, his hands in his coat pockets. there's a pink to the tip of his nose while he distractedly examines the exterior of her home. "this is... what your house looks like?" he murmurs, concern in his tone.

her face twists and she places her hands on her hips. not the greeting she was expecting, but probably should've been.

when he finally looks down at her he flinches, eyes going wide. "o-oh! i mean, uh—" clearing his throat, he lifts the corners of his mouth. "...w-what are we waiting for?" he sticks his elbow out for her to take, beginning her escort to the carriage.

their shoes crunch rhythmically in the snow as they approach the horse-drawn vehicle. they take a seat beside each other, a few snowflakes swirling inside as they quickly shut out the cold.

the ride hardly takes any time at all, dropping them off just a few minutes after their departure.

y/n's in awe before she even steps outside. with lanterns strung over the road from the rooftops of buildings, all of the decorative lights twinkle against the black of the night sky, illuminating the town in a spotlight.

despite the entrancing view, the main attraction is the skating pond a short walk from town. they decide on heading there, but not without admiring the festivities and grabbing a mug of the saloon's hot chocolate, of course.

the pond is just as beautifully decorated— a series of poles line the outside, a string of tinsel and lanterns connecting them from the top. a few people are already on the ice when they get there, though there's plenty of room for more on the large surface. a band plays music on a pavilion nearby, and at the front, a man rents them their skates.

first, oikawa glides out onto the ice. he leaves a white circle beneath his feet when he promptly turns to y/n, who's unable to find her balance.

she repeatedly steps onto the slippery footing before retreating to the earth. "i-i can't—" she huffs, surprised when her eyes flicker up to see a hand extended towards her.

head cocking to the side, oikawa smiles softly while he waits to feel her palm in his.

their freezing hands slowly meet, sparking a small, steady warmth in between their grasp.

even while using oikawa for support, she almost takes a tumble upon making contact with the ice. quickly, he pulls her close, grabbing her opposite hand as well.

flustered at the vicinity, she lowers her gaze to her skates. "why are you good at this?" she chews the inside of her cheek, brows furrowed.

keeping an easy pace, he starts skating backward, pulling her along. "i wasn't always. it takes time— you'll get better too."

despite his words of encouragement, she remains wobbly and unsure, holding onto him with a death grip. he purses his lips. "try not to think about it so much. i'm not going to let you fall."

hesitantly looking up, she lets out a low breath. "okay..." she focuses on his eyes as he leads her around the ring, the reflecting lights brightening his usual dark hues.

after overcoming her shakiness, she eventually becomes more sure, moving her feet synchronously with oikawa. not an expert yet, but taking steps in the right direction.

soon, they're skating peacefully to the sound of the music. though, the moment feels interrupted, as oikawa has something on his mind, and y/n knows it. he's had a somber, lingering presence following him all night. after waiting hours for him to speak on it, he finally clears his throat. "y/n," he starts weakly.

her brows perk slightly.

"i—uh, i know you probably don't want to talk about it... and i don't want to ruin the mood, but... i really am sorry. for everything."

he soon realizes that she doesn't plan on responding, and for some reason he prefers it that way.

when he glances at her again, she's staring at him, but he can't help noticing the strange expression on her face. he tilts his head, narrowing his eyes. "...you're looking through me."

y/n blinks a few times, shaking her head. "what?"

he repeats himself and her face droops. "oh, sorry. i'm just... thinking."

peering over his shoulder, he cuts across the ring, picking up speed now that she's not so wary. "about?"

"you."

"me?"

she looks away, the corners of her mouth pulling up slightly. "yeah, you. just— you're different. in a good way."

chuckling, he lifts one of her hands slightly higher than the other, drifting back in forth in a dance-like motion. "well, i hope so," they glide past another couple, "i can't take credit for that, though. you made me realize that i needed to be different."

raising a brow, she stifles a laugh by biting on her lip. "aw, you changed for me? that’s kind of romantic.” she teases.

they come to a stop and he presses a playful kiss to her knuckle, which now blazes with warmth from their constant hold. "i can’t help it. romance has always stirred between us.”

pulling her close so that their chests touch, he prepares to move again, but y/n is still caught up on his previous comment.

her mouth has fallen open, and she gives him a light smack on the shoulder. "oh please, you're such a sap!"

"...what?" his head juts back, a contortion to his features. "...am not!"

she laughs, nodding rapidly at his denial. "are too! who says stuff like that?”

“i’m not! take it back!" his protests are proven useless as it only makes her giggle more. despite fighting it, he laughs too, almost taking a spill on the ice as a result. after they finish with their fit, oikawa pulls his face from her shoulder to meet her eyes.

"you absolutely are," she says with a grin, positive she’s won their little argument.

when he doesn't react, she goes quiet, her face feeling hot under the fondness of his gaze. her heart-rate pounds when she notices he's inching closer, stopping a hair away to glance at her one last time for permission.

the kiss is gentle and quick, leaving y/n subconsciously leaning forward as he pulls away.

he sucks his teeth triumphantly when they separate, smiling. "hm. you like it though."

* * *

giving her floury hands a wash in the sink, y/n glances out the window. the snow from last night still remains fresh and untouched, the sun reflecting off of it making her squint.

oikawa finishes setting the last plate on the dining table, the flames from the kitchen fireplace warming the seats. when there's a knock on the door, he gives a noise of acknowledgment and goes to answer— not without planting a peck on y/n's head while passing, of course.

walking through the archway to the living room, he prepares to greet their visitors. outside, bundled up and teddy-bear in hand, is iwaizumi— the others huddled behind in similar apparel.

"ah!" oikawa pouts as they walk past and leave their white-clad boots by the door. "i told you she didn't need a gift, iwa! she's going to start liking you more than me."

iwaizumi peels his heavy coat off, dropping it on the edge of the couch. "she already likes me more than you. where _is_ the little squirt, anyway?"

with an offended hum, oikawa peers down the hallway. "c/n*, iwaizumi's here!"

immediately, a hasty pitter patter comes their way. the four year old turns the corner in her festive onesie, stopping to scan the many faces. "iwa!" she hurriedly picks up speed again until she's standing in front of him.

"there you are." he smiles softly. "look what i got you—" the fluffy animal appears from behind his back, and she reaches for it with grabby-hands.

"bear!"

he chuckles, handing it over. oikawa sends him a competitive glare as she runs to his side to show him. placing a palm on her shoulder, he turns their backs to iwaizumi, leaning down to her height. "that's nothing," he whispers. "daddy’ll get you a _real_ bear. one that does tricks."

c/n looks at him and laughs, jumping up and down. "real bear! real bear—!"

he quickly shushes her. "shh! shhh! just don't tell your mom, okay? oh— but go see if she needs help with anything, will you?” after she promises to comply, he sends her off in y/n's direction. she disappears from view, but their conversation is all too clear in the next room.

"real bear! daddy buy me a real bear!"

there's a beat of silence.

"what?"

wincing, oikawa turns to iwaizumi slowly, who's staring at him with his arms crossed. he’ll definitely have an angry y/n to deal with later.

matsukawa and hanamaki take seats by the living room mantle. "the place looks good." matsukawa notes, seeing the home furnished for the first time since the renovations they did.

nodding in agreement, iwaizumi slumps down into an armchair as well.

oikawa smiles. "it's much better than how y/n was living in it before, that’s for sure. i let her do most of the decorating— she did a pretty good job.” he runs his fingers over the back of the couch idly. "i think she's happy with it, too.”

then, y/n leans against the kitchen arch, bearing a pearly grin. "food's done!" she’s excited to show off her ever-improving cooking skill (thanks to oikawa as her teacher, who knew?), certain this year’s meal will impress.

instantly, the conversation ceases and everyone heads for the table eagerly, their stomachs rumbling as they find their spots.

once their plates are full and they’re busy digging in, the inevitable exchanging of stories and lighthearted banter comes.

oikawa finishes swallowing his current piece, giving an exaggerated huff. “hey, i don’t like to tell her no, okay— but five in the morning is a little extreme! and she doesn’t even let _me_ play with a doll, she makes me be the _horse_!” he gestures wildly to c/n, who giggles uncontrollably at his animated complaint.

y/n lowers her fork, brows kneading together. “...i didn’t know she had toy horses?”

in all seriousness, he throws his arms out, muttering through chews, “she doesn’t!”

iwaizumi chokes at the visual of a tormented, sleep deprived oikawa giving his daughter’s doll piggyback rides. he bangs a fist against his chest a few times, looking away as he succumbs to laughter.

the gathering continues late into the night, which may or may not have evolved into an aggressive, slightly drunken karaoke session at some point.

for the most part, y/n sits back and watches, rosy-cheeked and cheering them on. she feels a fuzziness in her chest at the sight of her friends—her _family—_ celebrating the holidays together, something she’s only had the pleasure of experiencing as of recently.

the road here might’ve been rough and, quite frankly, _ridiculous_ , but she’d do it all again in a heartbeat if it promised more times like these.

T H E E N D

thanks for reading!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *c/n: child’s name 😎 YES.... i did the forbidden and gave u a youngin ✋✋ it fits the holiday theme ok
> 
> dont know what u guys celebrate so i tried to keep it pretty vague ? idk if i did too well on that but i tried bc it IS an x reader fic soooo 
> 
> and yeah they found each other again in therapy thats so romantic isnt it 😌 LMAO i hope i did them justice tho i feel like i made their relationship too complicated for my monke brain to work with sometimes 🧍 also oikawa and c/n are definitely going to be like lottie and her dad from the princess and the frog hehe 👁👅👁


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